Tucson-bound... well, almost.

I am sitting here getting my inventory squared away, seeing if there are any missing pieces that I need to go quickly make in the studio before I wrap everything and start packing it up for the show. (and there are... I'm missing a set of feet for one of my totems! How did I forget that??!! as well as a few other odds and ends that I'd like to have. No major glass-work today.)

I don't have nearly as much inventory as I would like to.... but what is here, I love.

Here's a quick peek into the stash waiting to be bubble-wrapped...


Off to finish all the last-minute stuff!!!!!

tiny blah blah blah...

coffee - OH YEAH... big-time! If they had a extra venti, I'd be needing that this morning!
music - not sure yet... might go with something Adele-ish to calm me down a little! (can't wait for her new album later this month!!!)

Focusing on Tucson

I have 2 days left till I'm off for the Best Bead Show in Tucson. It's a crazy-huge show, for those who have never experienced it. It's absorbed most of my energy the last month and a half... and should have had even more attention than it did. I'm trying to focus on just being satisfied with WHATEVER I have to bring... and presenting it in a way that WOWS no matter what the quantity.

I've been working on some pretty cool stuff that I had hoped would be ready to debut at this show and I'm still not sure if it's there or not.... I have a day and a half to decide. I would love to show it in Tucson and "claim" it as my own in a big venue where you can do that. If not, I'm still going to work on it and bring it out for Bead and Button.... although this show is much more glass-oriented and I'd love to show it here first.

We'll see.


I have a whole other blog-posting writing itself in my head as I work lately about all the people who have influenced the way I work... but I'll save that for next week (maybe while I'm decompressing at the hotel at night!)

Off to the studio... long day ahead!


tiny blah blah blah...

coffee - Iced CDL AND an iced tea. I'm doubling up, preparing for a long long day in the "dungeon" (can't wait until I get my studio moved upstairs when I get back home!!)

music - all over the place lately! From my Groove Tunes playlist to my Country Music Guilty Pleasures list. Not sure what it will be today, but it will definitely be upbeat and sing-able!

Monday... Just another manic one? No, but a busy one.

I had to take an unexpected week(ish) off last week due to Snowmageddon 2011 in Atlanta. School was canceled for a WEEK and we couldn't get out of our neighborhood until Thursday. Seriously.

Now, just in case you need a reminder, my kids didn't go back to school until the WEDNESDAY after New Years, so they were only in school for 3 days from December 23-January 18 (tomorrow) That's over 3 weeks off!!!!! That totally threw my game off getting ready for Tucson. Sure... I was at home and could work in the studio, BUT anytime the kids are home, it just doesn't work the same. I get small stuff made, but nothing that I really have to invest uninterruptable (is that a word?) time to. I'm afraid to start something that I know will take an hour or more because I have this feeling that as soon as I'm 3/4 of the way into it... something will need my attention, I'll either have to stop OR the distraction will cause me to crack the piece and I'll lose that time I worked. Maybe this is just being overly cautious, but I don't take the risk... I just make little beads instead.

SO... for Tucson right now I have..... one mermaid and a million gazillion little beads! (I did have back-stock of focal beads, but I've only made ONE since Tucson prep began)

That's CRAZY!!!!!!!!!! I'm really trying to focus on focal beads (focus on focal?) this week... but even today I got side-tracked. I started back on making the big totems... NOT what I had planned to do. (but they're really pretty, so I'm sort of forgiving myself)

Re-reading this makes me sound a little crazed and all over the place. Truly... I'm not. I'm just a little stressed knowing I need to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. I'll keep you posted!

tiny blah blah blah...

coffee - Starbucks!!!!! You don't know how badly I missed my Cinnamon Dolce Latte during the time I was iced-in. (it wasn't snow, but ice that stranded us) Today's coffee sponsor was a "thank you" gift-card. Thank you back!!!!!

Music - my Country Guilty Pleasures playlist. It cracks me up that I like this music.... and like to sing along LOUDLY to it! :)

It's about 3 weeks till Tucson... and I'm FREAKING OUT!

I've been acting all cool and collected (well, sort of), but I'm now in stressed out mode. I have NO idea what to make... how many of them to make, etc.

It's a little overwhelming, like the FIRST year I ever did the show because I have no idea what to expect. At Bead and Button, I can expect beadwork customers... kit people. I'm pretty sure that Tucson is NOT kit people, but I know I should take a few... and I'm OK on the kit-front.

It's the WHAT ELSE do I take that is overwhelming. Do I take focals, do I take more spacers/little beads... do I take BIG totem stuff??? It's a little daunting.

So, I'm following the color guidance of the Blackboard of Bossiness... just trying to keep some structure as I try to decide WHAT IN THE HECK TO MAKE!!!




tiny blah blah blah...

coffee - cinnamon dolce latte (thank you Aunt Janie!!)
music - a mix of stuff, but it ended with Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits which always puts me into a "GET IT DONE!" state of mind.

Laughter in the studio...

Today I made beads and laughed.

I'm a little overwhelmed in the studio lately when I think of the massive amount of work to do in less than a month. Tucson's Best Bead show is looming LARGE. I'm trying my best to stay on-task and honestly, staying on task isn't nearly as hard as staying IN the studio in the first place. Christmas vacation with the boys made it difficult to work for the last week and being sick before the holidays really messed me up.

SO, now I'm scrambling. I'll make it. I'll be there. I'll have beads, but in the meantime, I'm freaking out a little.

(so where's the laughter, you ask???)

WELL, as I'm sitting there cranking out the little beads, Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" comes on the ipod and I was spirited away to a memory of something that happened this past weekend... THAT was what made me laugh.

My nephew and I were sitting in the living room at my parent's house, looking at my ipad. He was looking through my playlists and stopped on the one I've been playing in the studio lately (see a few days ago for the playlist.) He looked through the songs and clicked on "Let's Go Crazy." That first chord hit and my sister and I spontaneously burst into a live performance of the song in front of our family who sat there staring at us like we were from another planet. They had no idea that we sang this song (as well as all the songs on the Purple Rain Soundtrack) EVERY morning for at least a year on our way to school and I had no idea I still knew all the words to that song... but apparently I do.

So now, when that song comes on, I am hurled into these funny memories... my sister and best friend and I singing in the car on our way to school AND the recent "encore" performance.

The laughter distracted me from my stressing out... a little.

And in case I start to freak out again, I'll just remember...

Dearly beloved. We are gathered here to get through this thing called life....




tiny blah blah blah...

coffee - Cinnamon Dolce Latte
music - You need to ask??!!!