Saturday of Rain.

No little league....yes Krispy Kreme (just made sense on a rainy Saturday morning)

Trying to do Clean Sweep in playroom went over like a lead balloon. Met with tears and frustration, I finally gave up and told them just to find trash and I'd ask their Dad to clean it w/them next week as a Mothers Day present for me. Doubt that it will happen, but you never know.

I'm trying to psych myself up enough to do my own room. Which is pretty scary to say the truth! I could easily be a "Clean Sweep Candidate"

So, off to do what I need to do...laundry and floor finding. :)

no coffee, but it would have been a good idea!
Music - ipod mix called "music to clean a playroom by" (I thought it was a good idea, but didn't seem to help)

It's friday!!!

Today was silent auction day for the school and my class project sold for the most (happy dance!) and in addition...it's going to be the cover of the school directory.

rob says I shouldn't be so happy about this because it just means more people will ask me to do things next year! :)

I'm proud though. I wish I had enough $ to bid as high as the bids went. I am going to go to Cafe Press, though and get myself a poster of it! I took pictures of the painting and I'm going to turn it into a poster for the other parents to buy via cafe press. tres cool n'est pas?

This weekend is "clean sweep" weekend here. We'll see how that goes. I'm not really sure I have the energy to do it, but it needs to be done! After baseball we're doing the keep toss piles!

music today - no books on ipod today. listening to the davinci code.
snapple du jour - diet peach tea...yummy!

Ok...I'm on a roll! More than 2 posts in a row!!!

So, I have nothing really beady to talk about. I'm working on the patterns and am close to presenting them for public consumption. I've done a pretty good job about keeping them secret, but have slipped info a few times, so I might not have the surprise element I hoped for. (ok, remember, i know what I'm talking about here...my journal, my thoughts, doesn't make sense to others, it's ok)

So, today I worked for Dad and didn't do beady things. Tomorrow is 1/2 and 1/2...so probably not much beadmaking, but I'm going to try!!!! I need to!

Here's one of those thoughts for the day. If you are at a restaurant that has a "roving magician" who visits tables as people eat etc. Can you ask for a "no magic" section??? I wish! We went out to dinner and had an obnoxious majician come to our table 3 times during the night. We found out mid-meal that it was "free kids" night. Was that worth the magic? I don't think so.

It's no magic seating for me from now on!

Music today (even w/ out torch, have ipod will travel) - Everything But the Girl
Coffee - Venti 2 Pump Mocha.

I'm back! :)

Ok, here we go again...

I'm in the studio being productive, but not having fun.

I'm on the computer, being productive, but not having fun.

I'm not a happy camper lately and need some sort of fun-injection. I feel work-driven not life-driven and that's a bummer.

Here's what I'm up to...
Writing Patterns
Making beads to go with patterns
Doing internet stuff - updating and restructuring website as well as trying to stay present on WC which I think is important, but is hard to keep up with.
Doing family stuff, miscellaneous dental/medical appointments in addition to working once a week for my father.

My weeks are not really what I want them to be schedule wise. I'm scared about summer because it's just me and the boys unless I find a way to fund summer camps (which are expensive!!!!!).

Ok...music and such. It's been definitely bi-polar music selections in the studio. I've loaded my i-pod and put it on a speaker system in the studio.

First - Southern Rock selections, then Sade!!!! (told you bi-polar music choices)

Today - Maroon 5, Marvin Gaye (because the M's were next to each other in the menu) then Dixie Chicks because I just arrowed up and let it stop wherever and hit play. LOL

no coffee - snapple

right now, getting ready to go to the kids school to read for 30 minutes, which honestly I know is important, but really hate to do AND it cuts up my studio day which I hate. I like having a block of time to work rather than little spurts of work time. Once the boys are home, I don't work on the torch, so it makes my "career" limited to a few hours a day IF THAT. :( Who else can do a career on those kind of hours? I'm not sure that it's "working for me" as Dr. Phil says.

When I get back, I need to change out OXY tanks. I'm ready to buy a concentrator or generator SOON!

I have things to talk about today and feel totally drawn here to do so, but at the same time...this is one of those personal-get your feelings hurt kind of thing and I don't know that I wish to hash it publicly now that I'm here.

So, I'll just write it invisibly and then get over it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

I hope that helps. I'm really wallowing a bit on this one. It's something that I think I need to discuss, but just not here. I'll call an impartial friend and then move on...hopefully.

I am avoiding work for some reason. I've been working on my written instructions and apparently need to finish them very quickly so that I'm credited for them. It's one of those strike while the iron is hot thing. So...I'm trying to work on that, but probably need to be making beads.

Art/Craft as a living is a difficult thing, but we've been over that before. No news there.

I haven't made beads in my studio in a long time. I need to devote tomorrow to doing that...even if they're not beads to sell, I need to make beads just to get myself moving again.

today there has been no music, but I have a new music player! I got a thing to plug my ipod into so that I can listen to it in the studio. Hopefully that will get my creative juices flowing again.

off to work on my book-ish thing.

no coffee today, no music. Snapple and HGTV

It's been so long since I've been here....

I missed talking to myself so I came to chat today. :)

It seems that sometimes I have time to "play" on the computer and sometimes I don't. It's when I probably shouldn't be playing on the computer that I end up doing so. It is a fine line between playing and working, though. This blog began as a work-related thing where I talked about what I did in my studio each day.

I think I need to focus and return to that. It keeps me honest about working...or not.

I taught 2 classes this past weekend and they totally drained me. I had a wonderful time and hope the students did too, but it takes a toll...teaching glass. It's such a different thing than teaching beadwork. When I'm teaching beadwork, I'm teaching a project...something in particular and everyone is on the same page...working along on that project. It's a very laid back atmosphere.

When I teach glass, students are there to learn pretty much everything I know (and that's because I'm willing to share that much) in the 2 days of the class. After spilling all of my heart/soul/knowledge of glass for the days of the class...it takes just about everything out of me. BUT...I want to be exhausted like this more often. I totally loved teaching these classes and was reminded how much I miss teaching as often. So I'm sending those messages out to the internet...I want to teach more!!!

So happy am I, but I need to take a break before going back to work. In the past, I didn't know that and tried to keep going at full speed...even after teaching a class. Now, I give myself permission to vegetate for a day. So for my resting day (today) I surfed and did computer work on my upcoming project, so I'm not sure that it was all relaxation, but it was definitely low stress, low mobility day.

I hopefully will have work related things to say in the future and maybe I will do my positive thinking things now to do some sort of self-fulfilling profecy that I will work when I should and be successful...

or not. I'm not sure I wish to do all my self-help things on the web for the world to see....sufice it to say that I am positively thinking. :)

And now for the old favorities...
No music, a couple of old movies.
No coffee, just snapple....do you think they'd hire me as the new snapple lady? Might be another career choice....drinking snapple and smiling a lot...answering people's letters, etc. Seems like a sweet job!

Oh there's no place like home for the holidays...



Well, I've been house-bound for 3 days now and am going crazy!!! AND I can't make beads!!!!! arghhhhh



Harrison has pneumonia and strep throat, so he is down for the count for the rest of the week and being Mom is my only job this week. At least he'll be better by Christmas! (I hope!!!)



Rob got a job and I'm a much happier camper.



Other than that...nothing to talk about except to say "Let me outta here!" :)

I haven't been very diligent about posting here. I also never spell check, so if I'm spelling things incorrectly in my own blog...so bee it.



I've been swamped with getting e-bay things up and going. Also with some changes to the Clothesline project, adding them to my website in a new way, adding them potentially to e-bay. Not sure why, but thought I'd get more exposure that way.



Am tired tired tired. Watching olympics late into the evenings, but really enjoying them.



have starbucks in hand today...need that jolt!

Didn't get a ton of beads made today, but kept organizing the studio. I'm actually almost at a point where I can find my beads! They are there by color, style and in clear boxes so that I see everything!!! Hooray!!!



Auctions still bite.



Me - I'm creating fun things and trying not to obsess over the above statement.



Pizza delivery on its way...beading in the meantime



should have had a starbucks today. feeling a bit draggy.

OK...

If I were not feeling so darn creative tonight I might be having a nervous breakdown due to the fact that most of my auctions right now have absolutely NO bids. I am deleting any whiny-ness just because I'm not whining...just puzzled and a bit miffed.

I have good stuff up there!!! I have low starting bids!!! Even the ones I raised to $19.99 are good prices...they're $70ish bundles!!! So, why they are receiving no bids is one big mystery to me. I really feel they are some of the best things I've had up in a while (not that I don't like my other stuff, but I was really happy with these) I was really happy (am really happy) with the photography too! Whazzup? I just don't know.

That said, I'm feeling really creative right now, so I'm pretty stable emotionally about this. Still, it would feel much better knowing I actually had some income next week! LOL

I have been beading new things today, so am happy about that. I'm ready to create..not just produce.

Off to create more.

School day 1 - complete.



Sylvie made lots of beads



Kids happy with classes



Harrison changed his name to Ethan. Apparently the teacher called roll using his first name and he said "ok" and at that moment chose not to rock the boat, but to go by his first name since the teacher used it. That's my little "pleaser". I told him to let me know which name he wants me to call him. If he wants to be Ethan...so be it.



I did get a lot of beads made. It was a crazy quirky day of color.



Received a shipment of something I had ordered through e-bay. It was something I was saying I was interested in selling on e-bay...I'm just wanting to avoid directly mentioning who and what I purchased.



I just have to say, that though the product received was just what I purchased and quite fine. The packaging was the absolute most atrocious (sp?) thing I have ever seen. It was a small jar (of what I ordered) wrapped in paper and postal tape sloppily then in some paper then into a USED business reply envelope which was then re-taped and stickered with return address and my address. I might have to photograph this just to show how absolutely unbelievably bad presentation it was.



I KNOW that I am so much better than this in my packaging and presentation. These people selling this product are just so so not artists, though I don't really know who would be interested in this product were they not artistic. Their photography stinks, the ad copy is ok, but this was just such a crazy way to ship (and the shipping charge was around $3.00 for FC) I would understand that if it was well packed, but for that???? Oh well. It was exactly why I ordered. I wanted to see what the potential competition was doing.



ok...



off needing some dinner. Griffin is asleep due to the no nap factor of 1st grade. Ugh. Won't be easy to wake him and he won't want to go to sleep tonight if I don't.



starbucks today! _ Iced almond latte (I'm on a kick of that I guess, but today was the last for a while due to the shakes I get from Starbucks) :(

twas the night before school starts... and no kids could sleep. It's going to be a challenge to wake up tomorrow! BUT I am planning to spend some quality time (after Starbucks of course) at my torch. I don't have anything specific in mind, but I think I need to make beads. Not small beads, though that might happen, but I feel like i need to MAKE something. Not sure what, but SOMETHING.



will keep you (me) posted. :)

It's Sylviebead news day. I sent out an e-mail to my customer list telling them super secret stuff and letting them know there is new stuff in my storefront. I am finally happy with my photography. And...hopefully, now that I know what I'm doing (sort of), I can photograph some of my larger focal beads this week and post them to the store as well.

Head Over Heels is winding down and I'm feeling a bit bummed about it. I know that I wanted to make room for myself to do something new, but I'm wondering if that's a big mistake!!! Am I a one hit wonder that is retiring my HIT????? It's one of those things where I was so happy with the Clothesline, but it doesn't seem to have the appeal to other people as head over heels does. I also love the angel piece, but what if it receives the same reaction?!!!!

I'm over thinking things probably, but I just had my 2nd class cancellation due to low registration. I know it's summer, and I think that had a lot to do with it, but I'm still having a lot of self doubt.

The boys start school on Monday, so I'll have a bit more time to spend on designing. Maybe there's another "hit" in there somewhere????? If Rob would get a job it would make it much easier for me. Being the beady breadwinner is not an easy thing and does make for more of a production lifestyle than a creative one. Head Over Heels has paid the bills this summer. When that stock is gone...then what?!!!

I'm sitting here with the smell of sharpened pencils in my nose. Griffin was supposed to sharpen 48 pencils for school....he did 15 I think! We'll see if he gets a few more sharpened later, but I don't think 48 is going to happen!

Bookbags are ready to be packed with fresh supplies. I think I'm having more fun with that than they are. I always loved having new school supplies. The first day when all the crayons are organized and pristine! Makes me want to buy a box for myself...just to sit around and not use! LOL

am off to pretend to work on something important while I continue to work through this blue funk.

i think i need starbucks

This is one of those "what the heck is she talking about entries" that I just need to write and then laugh and be done.

I am a dairy queen dip cone.

Smooth and somewhat stable on the outside, but still very fragile and one good thunk and I'm just a mess.

I felt thunked yesterday, but I think I'm better today.

I'd rather be Brewsters I think...maybe Ben and Jerry's....better yet, something that doesn't melt at all!

coffee - Starbucks iced Almond Latte (it was one of those days that I needed it!)
and a Krsipy Kreme donut....it was REALLY one of those days! LOL

Watching: Court TV a new LIVE trial (finally) about a guy who might have killed his wife, but if he did, he was truly stupid (though he is in real life a rocket scientist). It's one of those trials where I'm not sure if he's guilty or not. Those are my favorites...I get to decide as the trial unfolds rather than having an opinion right away.

Reading: The Edge of Reason (again) - Want to remind myself how funny it was before the movie comes out. I laughed harder at this one than Bridget Jones.

Yesterday's posting was quite whiny. I hate when I do that...and I did it publicly, so everyone (if anyone reads) knows that I am a real person who has those days.



In light of my recent e-bay failures, I am considering a new line of work...



I have been watching e-bay and the MAC cosmetics section. Some people know that I am a total MAC junky. You might not guess that if you ever saw me because I don't even wear makeup half of the time. Only a fraction of the time do I do wild MAC-like makeup. Most makeup days are fairly subdued (though I'm still using MAC)



Ok...what is all this rambling about. No, I'm not going to become a makeup artist (though that might be fun). I have found that e-bay has auctions for mac products. Most of them being pretty ordinary, like someone has purchased a lot of discontinued color from an outlet store and they're re-selling on e-bay.



BUT there is this crazy market for these things called Mac Pro Pigments. They are the color that is added to eye makeup or lipgloss (even nail polish) WHATEVER to change their color. They are what they say a "pure pigment". Well....I'm dying to try these and they don't sell them at most MAC stores (only the PRO shops).



So what is all this about you say? Well......there are people selling 1/4 teaspoons of this stuff on e-bay for $2-5 per 1/4 teaspoon!!!! So, I says to myself, I says "hey, I could do that!" There aren't very many people doing this, and there seems to be a consistent market for the items since they are scarce in most towns. PLUS the people who are selling this are NOT artistic in their presentation of the items. Their photography STINKS and they're marketing COLOR!!



The whole thing reminds me of how e-bay bead sales got to be so hot. People didn't have access to them, so e-bay became the primary place for the general public who didn't live in a big bead show town to buy them. I'm truly considering making PRO purchases either via some sort of ordering (and I do have a source to do this ) from the PRO stores OR making trips to those PRO stores (oooh!! that sounds fun!!) and then re-packaging and selling these samples the way others have.



What I need to find out is if it is really something that could be profitable, or would I just be asking for more trouble than it's worth. I would be able to own all the colors myself (which is a fun fun fun thing for me and probably why I love MAC so much, the colors are endless and using these pigments you can mix NEW colors!!)so that might be a draw, but I'm just not sure yet.



I have to find out how many 1/4 teaspoons are in one package and if when adding in the new packaging for the samples it would be at all profitable. I have to guess so since there are people doing this, but I would want to make sure.



I will keep my journal posted on this idea. So, I could quit making beads and be a cosmetics mogul OR I could just hook my bead customers on this stuff and MAYBE cross market to the makeup girls out there too and get them to buy jewelry or beads! (this is sounding more and more interesting!)



ok...must do bookkeeping work for my Dad today and just think on this more (talking MAC is more fun)



had Dunkin Donuts latte today, which really is pretty good!

ok...

I'm just about dying now.

I have auctions with NO bids. I have a bundle of beads closing in 4 hours with a high bid of $14. This is a $70 bundle of beads and I'm really really close to thinking twice about e-bay.

I know I know I know I need to sell beads to pay bills, but the idea of selling cheap just hurts my pride. :(

I did get a new bra this weekend though and it made me happy. silly thing, yet happy about it. Was terribly controlled on a shopping trip and limited myself to a very inexpensive PTA outfit (long story) and did not buy shoes (though I was quite tempted to go to the Nordstrom big sale).

Have my new photo setup and am working today to learn how to use it. Learning curves stink, but I'm needing a day to figure it all out.

ok...

off to work again. enough whining.

free beads. get your free beads.

That's what I feel like I'm saying right now with my beads on e-bay. I am practically giving away those beads. I have to sell right now, though, since Rob doesn't have a job and I can't say "no, I'm just not going to sell my beads if I don't get what they're worth", but it hurts to see $70 worth of beads go for barely $20. I just don't have the luxury of saying "I just won't sell right now".

I can go back to the worrying about how my beads stand up to others and why are others selling and mine not...or I can just be glad that I'm making what I'm making without having to be a secretary. That's pretty much where my head is at right now.

Making beads for e-bay is my "job" and I have to do it just like I would have to go to another job that wouldn't be nearly as pleasurable.

I am currently watching a bizarre movie while I type and I think I'm going to have to go watch it with my full attention to see how BAD it really is! LOL

Am not depressed, just filled with philosophical art vs. money questions that have plagued me for the past 8 years!!! (or more!)

Ikea in Atlanta!!!

It's a short entry, I know, but it's an important life changing one. :)

Until summer 2005, I'll be loitering in the Atlantic Steel future Shopping area in midtown. I'll be the one in the soon-to-be parking lot with a big empty truck, ready to back up to the loading zone! :)

Hooray for the Braves who beat the Mets tonight. Go Braves!

Here we go....

Sort of lots to talk about, but nothing really important (like there is usually something important here?)

1st...I want a Mac Pro store in Atlanta. Why? I don't know, I just don't like NOT having something that other cities have! I want to play with the Mac pro pigments and they don't sell them here! Why do I care about these makeup items when I hardly EVER wear lots of makeup? Because like playing with glass colors, playing with makeup colors is really fun for me. These pigments can be mixed into lipgloss/lipstick/eyeshadow, moisturizer, NAIL polish....the list goes on. I'm just fascinated by the thought of mixing my own colors! Bring the Mac pro store to Atlanta...pleeeeeeeeeeease!

I priced last night the following options...

Paying for Rob's next semester of college
Buying 4 pairs of Stuart Weitzman boots (I don't really need 4, but it's a math comparison here)
Flying last minute to the Gathering in Portland
Flying to NY or LA to buy MAC
Buying an Oxygen Concentrator (or 2)

All of these options add up to pretty much the same figure. I see, looking at the list, that only ONE of these does not directly offer any benefit to me. Sure, I can hope that there would be future income based on the tuition, but no guarantees. I would not gain any real happiness by having Rob go to school. HOWEVER, buying shoes or makeup would be a happy thing. Buying an oxygen concentrator would directly benefit the income making ability...since right now I'm out of oxy and Rob is out of town, so I'm stuck w/out oxy until MONDAY! Finally, the Gathering would be a happy-ish thing. If not happy, at least educational.

I've pretty much narrowed my choices down to oxygen concentrator, boots and tuition...for various reasons....Hmmmmmm what to do?!

I'm going to spend my non-beadmaking weekend beading. I'm really wanting to play a bit with creating something new and I need to finish up a couple of samples, so that will be the real alone time accomplishment of the weekend.

I have ordered a new photo setup. It was expensive, but I spend SO much time trying to get photos to look good that I decided that the $ spent would be worth it. I hope so.

Ok...this whole entry has been about shopping. Hmmmmmmmm. With Nordstrom having a sale this weekend, that might be a BIG temptation.....I hear shoes calling. People go bid on my auctions I want some boots!!!!!

:)

did my workout today with the exerball...an evil piece of equipment which looks so UN-evil. Beware the exerball! Really a good core workout, but OUCH!

off to find food (funny that the food thing came after talking about exercise?!

I should be here saying important life-changing/affirming things.



I'm not.



I have absolutely nothing of real importance to say, so instead I'll go back to what I used to do and just say what I made today.



Today I made beads. I spent the morning playing with techniques that I learned from Michael Barley last year, interpreted with a Sylvie-esque spin (can't really say what that is other than the fact that they don't look like Michaels! LOL) I made a series of beads...not trying to make any 2 the same...this is a BIG deal for me! I love matching things, so this was really living on the edge.



I later came back to the studio and made some smaller more monotonous e-bay esque dot beads. Played with color to make it more interesting. THEN found out that I'm down to relatively NO oxygen and Rob is leaving out of town early a.m. I thought I had a back up tank, but turns out...this WAS the backup tank!!!!



I immediately began planning a weekend alone WITH NO OXY! Can you believe it? I have a whole weekend to make beads in peace and NO OXYGEN!!!!!!!! I'm a little frustrated with myself for getting in this predicament. Guess I'll paint the house instead. :(



Not happy about this at all. In fact starting to really pout about it.



In other things...I want a mac pro shop here! I just saw a bunch of stuff on e-bay that came from there...you can make your own eyeshadow colors, etc. I wanna do this! Guess I'm trying to do something else since I can't make beads.



I'm bummed bummed bummed.



Can you say "going to buy a concentrator?????" I thought you could. :)



no starbucks

(been really really off of it lately. No starbucks = no shaking hands)

Chik fil A tea and 2 dunkin donuts. Breakfast of Champions.

Swam 800 yds in 30 minutes...thus negating the donuts (sort of)

no weight gained, nor lost

court tv viewing in studio - stupid but true