Just a quick post to say I'm still alive!

Kids are out of school. Puppy is making my life a lot more active and exciting. Busy busy busy and no beadwork at all.

Not even time to find a song of the week! Sorry dear readers, I'll have to catch up later. But wanted to let anyone who was worried about my absence know that I'm still alive.


Tiny blah blah blah...
Coffee today? Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Music - my mellow list... need to switch things up. I'm getting in a rut!

Quick post to say....

The puppy has a name!!!!!!!

His name is Cooper and he's adorable. I'll post pictures later, but wanted to bring the latest news to the blog.

There is NOTHING beady to report on... not spending any time on beads... lots of time on puppy!

And here he is... presenting... Cooper!





tiny blah blah blah...

No coffee - Chick-fil-a Sweet tea instead
No music - forgot to bring my ipod to work... what is the world coming to???

The Days of the Week...

Last night I was laying in my bed, singing the song from the Mamas and the Papas in my head (before my time music-wise, but I'm pretty sure my mom must have played it for us). ANYWAYS... I was mentally singing "Monday... Monday..." which was how I started yesterday's post.

And then I realized... It's NOT Monday!!!!! It was TUESDAY. I DO know the days of the week!!! I guess it was because it was the first WORK day of the week that I was feeling like it was Monday.

I don't really have anything important (as if I ever do) or beady to say today, but I did want to clarify that I knew that yesterday was Tuesday before someone (mom) corrected me!!!


Here's the tiny blah blah blah...

Coffee - Same as usual these days... Iced Venti 3 pump Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Music - Jason Mraz... just put a mix on of all the stuff I have of his on my ipod. His newest album is listed over there to the right. I LOVE his music... it's witty and fun.

Monday Monday.....

It's the beginning of the week (work week that is... I DO realize that weeks start on Sunday) and the end of a FANTASTIC weekend!!!

I had such a great weekend. I traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to see a good friend... bought cute shoes (on sale!), ate at good local restaurants, and saw a GREAT exhibit at the Frist Museum in Nashville. It was European Impressionists to Expressionists (I think) and it was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW! It was SO cool to see so many famous paintings all in one place... and somewhere that was actually driveable for me!

After visiting with friends, I went to get my new puppy on Sunday!!!! He's the sweetest dog EVER and I'm so glad he's mine. I'll put up some pictures later. He has no name... yet. My boys are out of town and I'm not going to give him a name until they meet him and help me decide which of our choices seems best for his personality. He really is a sweet laid back dog... which is PERFECT for me!

And to end my weekend... I saw James Taylor in concert last night and it was an INCREDIBLE concert. I'm hoping that there is an album coming out soon which includes some of the songs he did. (and I think there is... and you can BET that I'll be including it as a recommendation in my side-bar over to the right!) In the meantime, if you don't own it... go buy James Taylor's Greatest Hits Volume One. I really think it is the absolute BEST James Taylor album to date. He played most of the songs off of it last night and I just LOVED LOVED LOVED it!

He did NOT play the song that I refer to sometimes in my blog called "That's Why I'm Here," but I'll forgive him. ;)

There's a new song of the week!!! This one is buy a up and coming British songstress named Estelle and she's done a song with Kanye West which is really a cool song. Perfect for summer! So take a listen! (thank you to Denise's XM Top 20 station for introducing me to it!)

here's the tiny blah blah blah for today...

Coffee - Iced Venti 3 pump Cinnamon Dolce Latte with Light Ice and Cinnamon/Sugar sprinkles on top (yes... I'm the obnoxious high-maintenance coffee-ordering girl in front of you in line!)

Music - Nothing so far! Must go put on some tunes!!!!!!!! I'm thinking some James Taylor will be perfect for today!

Whatever Wednesday...

Warning: This post has NOTHING to do with beadmaking. If you were hoping to read that I am actually making beads this week... check back next week when you MIGHT be correct (but don't hold your breath). Today's posting will be all about music! YAY!!!

I was listening to the radio on Saturday and this station in town has started a new thing called "whatever weekends." What that means is that they now play WHATEVER they want to during the weekend. It was INSANE!!! They played Jingle Bell Rock!!! Right after some mellow Celine Dionne-esque song and some TLCish song. I can't remember the actual combination of songs, but it DEFINITELY was Jingle Bell Rock! In May!!!!!

Of course, that's probably WHY they went to this format... so that I'd keep listening to what insane combinations of songs they played (and annoying my friends calling them saying "you have GOT to hear what this station is playing!!) I won't be in town this weekend to hear what zany combos they choose, but rest assured gentle-reader... I will definitely update you the following weekend when we join Atlanta's B98.5 in their new weekend feature "D.J.'s on CRACK!" (I think they're going to officially rename it that!)

See? No beads involved at all. Sorry. :(

Time for the daily blah blah blah...

Coffee today - ICED 3 pump cinnamon dolce latte. (I'd like to send a shout out to my REGULAR Starbucks who always makes good coffee. I didn't go there yesterday which is probably why I complained. Hooray for the Holcomb Bridge/Old Alabama Starbucks crew!!)

Music - Sylvie's New Groove Tunes (will have to update the sidebar soon!)

Absolutely nothing beady to say today, but I must make a blog entry simply to say...

MY COFFEE IS TERRIBLE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have no idea why!! It's the same thing I always order, but ick ick ick it doesn't taste good and Starbucks is TOO expensive for bad coffee!!!!!!!!!

the end

It's Monday!

WOO HOO!!! (just pretending to be excited.)

I had a busy busy weekend and didn't get a single bead made, which should end this blog entry since this is a BEADMAKING blog. BUT you know that I won't do that (just like you KNOW I won't use proper grammar most of the time) because I've always got something to say.

I spent my weekend going to games (1 high school football game, 4 5th grade football scrimmages and 1 Braves game) and wore myself out with all those sporting events!!! On Sunday I did church and laundry. Not a single spare minute for beadmaking (look! I talked about beads again!!)

This week is all about final exams for one kid and last week of school activities for the other. PLUS they go on a vacation the next week w/ their Dad so I've got to get them packed and ready to go.

PLUS I've got to finish getting my house ready for our new puppy to arrive on Sunday!!! YAY!!!

I'm taking a road-trip with my best friend to visit another best friend who happens to live close to my puppy's current home. I'll hang out with her for a day and then pick up my puppy before heading back home. So it's going to be a FUN and busy weekend yet again... with no time for beadmaking! (look! yet another bead reference!)

I'm hoping to have some time the next week to work on beads a little. I'm not planning on making beads, but I'm hoping to get more organized in my studio while the boys are gone so that I can spend some time this summer in the studio!!!!!!

Thank you to the people who wrote me recently to tell me I'm missed in bead world. I needed that kick in the pants to help me get motivated. I have a lot on my plate and juggling it is hard, but I really really want to find a way to bring that part of my life back into the mix. I miss it! I miss my customers too!!!

Ok... that's it for today. Note that I have a NEW song of the week!! It's a GREAT song by a new artist named "Duffy." It sort of reminds me of Amy Winehouse, but even a little more retro than Rehab. Take a listen! I also left last week's song up for those of you who missed it.

daily blah blah blah...

Coffee Today - Venti 3 pump cinnamon dolce latte (if only Starbucks would give me credit for plugging them!!)

Music - Sylvie's Mellow Mix (again!)

Quick post!

NEW FEATURE!!!!!

I've added a song of the week to the sidebar! This week's song is by Jason Mraz and is called "I'm Yours." I love love love this song. Take a listen...

tiny blah blah blah

coffee today - Venti 3 pump Cinnamon Dolce Latte

music today - Sylvie's New Groove (lots of funky songs... need to add it to the lists at the side. Will do that later)

The Bead and Button Blues

Here we are almost half way through the month of May and I'm bluesin' (I guess that's not a word... spellcheck didn't like it, but I'm going to officially make it a word from now on).

For years, this was one of the weeks that I was cramming for Bead and Button. It was a total adrenaline pumping, full-out beadmaking work-out that lasted a couple of months, but the last 2 weeks of May were the craziest.

And here I sit with my biggest challenge this week being how do I get one kid to football practice while the other needs to go to an orchestra concert. Quite a change. (I would have had those challenges PLUS how to make inventory and get ready for the show, so I guess I should be thankful for the reprise.)

But I miss Bead and Button. I miss that connection with people who were buying my work. Meeting them face to face and getting that Sally Field moment..... "You like me! You really like me!" that came when I had something that sold really well, or that people brought back things they'd made with my beads the past year.

I miss that. A LOT.

I got an e-mail from a friend this week (hey friend!) that is also a former Bead and Button vendor. She was asking me if I'd like to go next year as an attendee... that she missed just being at the show.

I really WANT to go. In fact, I was trying to figure out how I could do it this year, BUT the more I think about it, the more I know I'll be sad when I'm there as a shopper. I'll miss being the one on the other side of the table.... talking to my old-friends... my customers that came back year after year.

I miss that. A LOT.

It's time to find my way back there again. I have NO idea how I'm going to balance things, but if I miss something THIS much, it's something I need to find a way to do. Whether I can make it onto the wait-list is a whole 'nother thing. But I need to work this year and try to find a way to be back on the other side of the table again.

ok... enough bluesin' for today. I have a TON of other more fun stuff to talk about, but this is not the venue for that. Maybe some day there will be a blog for that too. But I doubt it!!!


Coffee - 2 Venti Cinnamon Dolce Lattes (bad bad girl!)
Music - none. maybe that's my problem!
Fashion report - I have nothing to report on this one either!!! I haven't seen anyone today other than my kids... and I actually could "out" one of them as a Glamor Don't, but I won't.

Hello whoever you are!!!!!!

So, I'm noticing that people are coming and reading this... WHO in the heck are you guys??!! I'm not asking for a "roll call" or anything, but it's funny knowing that people are coming and reading every day (and I know you are because I can read my site statistics and know there are a certain number of hits happening just about every day... it's just funny to me for some reason).

I don't have a LOT of beady things to talk about today, but I do have a few. I'm going to make beads again this coming weekend while the boys are with their dad, but I'm not sure how much time I'll actually get in since I'll also be going to spring football scrimmages.

The boys will be gone for the next 3 weekends in a row and will be gone the entire week after Memorial Day, so that's a LOT of time to myself to get things done. BUT.... I'll have my new puppy by then, so I'll probably be spending more puppy time and less beadmaking time.

I'm SO excited about my new puppy. Here's his picture...


He doesn't have a name yet, but he will! We have a lot of possibilities, but haven't totally agreed yet. I'd love an art name, but that's not gonna happen. Looks like he'll have more of a standard DOG kind of a name. I don't want anything too silly. I loved the name Einstein because he's going to have crazy hair when he gets older (he's a Goldendoodle) but one of my boys vetoed that one. Too bad! :(

ok... gotta get back to work. Just wanted to check in with my "faithful" readers... whoever you are!!!

the daily blah blah blah...

Fashion report - nothing bizarre seen today, although my 10 year old looked SHARP in his suit he wore to school today! (which is bizarre... he's never dressed up!) He was giving a speech since he's running for school council president! We're not expecting a win since there is only one girl running and 3 boys. The boys will probably split the boy vote and the girl will get all the girls, making her win by a landslide. He knows that already, so it won't be a big let down. But he's got a great slogan! "Don't be Trippin' Vote for Griffin!!" (cracked me up when he told me that!

Coffee - Venti Cinnamon Dolce Latte - which is NOT good today! They forgot the cinnamon syrup and I swear they put in an extra shot of espresso, so it's really bitter without any sweet to balance it. PHOOEY!

Music - Sylvie's New Groove (will have to post a link to those songs later) and now Sylvie's long mellow list

Good morning beady world!

This post has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with beads, so if you're here for my scintillating stories about life... stick around for a doozie. If you are looking for insight into glass beadmaking... tune in another day.

Here's my funny story of the day....

I always seem to see the funniest things when I'm out and by myself. I NEVER see them when I'm with someone. I've started "documenting" these occurrences by calling my friend and telling her what I've just seen. I'm sure at some point in my stories she's rolling her eyes and thinking "do I always need a play by play of Sylvie's bizarre sightings? NO!!" ANYWAYS, today she had to suffer through another description of craziness that found its way into my sight today. It was funny enough (to me) that I called 2 other people and told them too.

Here's what I saw... (I totally need a camera phone!!)

I was at the Sprint Store getting a phone repaired (part of my REAL job) and had to sit and wait for it. For some reason, this particular store seems to draw the "glamor don'ts" of the world and I've seen more than one big "car-crash" of fashion here before.

Today's was so funny I almost started laughing (snorting kind of laughing) right there next to the guy while I waited.

Here's what he had on...

1. Badly shaped Afro
2. Gold trimmed BIG feminine Gucci Sunglasses
3. Gold chains (of course!)

ok... at this point I have to interject that this guy sort of had a body-builder kind of look. "sort-of" being the appropriate words because with his bulging bi-ceps he had a bit of a beer belly (just wait...)

SO the outfit description continues...

4. Orange mesh (yes, you read that right) vest. It was some sort of sporty vest. Almost looked like what Water-skiers wear... but not puffy like a life vest. It zipped up the front like that though. OF COURSE he wore no shirt with this and it was a "bare-midriff" sort of style which left his belly hanging out. OH BOY... it just gets worse...

5. (holding back the laughter right now just remembering this...) He had on black M.C. Hammer pants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ok, not holding back laughter now) they were TRULY TRAGIC M.C. Hammer baggy pants. "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" I wanted to yell.

but wait! There's more!!!!!

6. PATENT LEATHER black high-top 80's Rebok looking tennis shoes.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!

THAT, my friends, was one of my funniest sightings in a long time! Better than the woman who had the "parting of the red seas" hair-do!! Better than "dancing jogging man." Better even than the "Steve Harvey's Showtime at the Apollo Menswear Store" at the redneck mall!

ok... I'm going to compose myself and get back to work. I think I might have to add my fashion sightings to the list below as a daily feature. I'm sure they are out there everywhere if I look hard enough!

Daily blah blah blah...

Coffee - Cinnamon Dolce Latte (admitting to having TWO of them today. bad girl!!)

Music - Jason Mraz (see side bar for a link to his new album. I LOVE this guy!!!)

Flight of the Hampsters.... the mystery continues!!!!!!!

OK... after yesterday's post, I, being the Nancy Drew kind of girl that I am, decided to go do some research and find out WHY someone who did a search in google would find MY blog by typing the words "flight of the hampsters" in the search. WELL... what I found out FIRST is that I spelled Hamsters wrong!!! SO, once again, people found my site by doing the same mis-spelling that I did. BUT there were over 368,000 entries for "flight of the hampsters!" So, what made this crazy person say "hey... sylviebead blog. THAT sounds like where I'll find information about a video game!" (I also found out that Flight of the Hamsters is a video game).

BUT I didn't find out HOW my blog is connected to this at all!!! I found an entry in my blog where I refer to a book that my kids used to have called "10 minutes till bedtime" and it had cute little hamsters in it. BUT there was no "flight" involved.

So, the mystery continues...

That's it for today. No beady news to report. Will not be a beady weekend either. I'm with my boys AND cleaning house, puppy-proofing it (like baby-proofing) for our new arrival. He comes home at the end of May. HOORAY!!!

big news... I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting to hear the daily blah blah blah...

Coffee - nope. Chick fil a sweet tea with 3 lemons (I'm picky)

Music - nope. I forgot my ipod!!!!

Nothing big and beady going on today, but in visiting my own blog, I noticed that I'd had a lot of hits for something that I hadn't really advertised or anything.

SO, in curiosity, I went to my website to look and see how many visits I've been getting lately. One thing led to another and I looked at the statistics and how people find their way to my site.

Here's something REALLY funny. Someone found their way to my site through google by typing...

flight of the hampsters as their keywords for the search.

HUH???!!!! I have NO idea why I showed up with those words. Makes me curious how many sites come up when you put those words in the search AND how far down the list I am! How many sites did they browse through looking for information on flying hampsters (LOL) before they found my blog???!!! And what was I talking about in my blog that even MENTIONED hampsters!

It's always funny to look at my site statistics and see stuff like that. A long time ago people who were searching for the Osbornes but spelled it incorrectly kept going to my site because I had spelled it incorrectly in my blog. TOO FUNNY!

And what do these people think when they get here? Are they totally enthralled with my so-called life???!! Did they come to just look at the carnage after my "car crash" of a life??? Were they deeply disappointed when I took a hiatus? (no, I seriously don't believe any of that to be true. It would be SAD SAD SAD if a stranger wandered unknowingly upon my site and decided to visit it AGAIN!)

The whole thing is too funny.

ok... gotta run and do my REAL job.

Coffee Today - very disappointed, Starbucks was out of Cinnamon Dolce syrup, so I had to have a mocha. Wasn't in the mood for a mocha. :(

Music - Currently listening to Kate Nash on my ipod who is a strange strange girl... going to have to change to someone else, because I'm just not in the mood for her bitter ramblings today. Time for some Jason Mraz I think.

Hello World! It's MONDAY!!! woo hoo (ok... not really woo-hoo, but it sounds enthusiastic, so I'm trying to think positive and be excited about getting up early, getting kids to school, getting to work, etc.)

I'd RATHER have Saturdays all week long! YAY!

THIS Saturday was great! I made beads again!! YAY YAY DOUBLE YAY!!!

I had made an appointment for renting torch-time at the bead store on Saturday morning, so I got up early, took my already loaded bead-making tote and headed to Marietta. I made beads for a few hours and had no problems with shaking and made 2 fairies and a mermaid! WOO HOO! I'm BACK!!!!!!!

These beads are going in the collection for my boys, but I'm hoping that at some point I'll be ready to put some things up for sale again. In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy making beads when I can.

I THINK I'm going to work on cleaning my studio a little this week. No unrealistic goals to have it completed by a certain day or anything, just going to make an EFFORT to get started. baby steps.

For now, I'm enjoying the social aspect of going over to the bead store... it's just too far away to do any days except Saturday mornings when I don't have the boys. I stay busy on my no-kids weekends, though, so bead-making time will be limited even then.

So, this concludes the bead news for today. Any other news is just not for this blog (like the part about my getting NEW PUPPY in a few weeks !!! But I'm not talking about that here.... this is a BEAD blog NOT a PUPPY blog!)

coffee today - of course! Same ol' same ol... Venti 3 pump with whip Cinnamon Dolce Latte (I'm the girl in front of you at Starbucks that you roll your eyes at when she says her complicated order!!)

music today - still listening to my long mellow playlist. Right now it's playing the Police

Happy Beady Bloggy Thursday!!!

I have bead news! I have reserved more torch time AND I bought some new glass, bead release and mandrels!!!! I'm ready to make beads on Saturday!!!!!

This is a short entry... I just wanted to say "out loud" that I'm making beads this weekend!!


Coffee Today? - nope. Chick-fil-a Sweet Tea w/ 3 lemons
Music - Sylvie's long mellow playlist (currently playing Sade)

Good Morning World!

It's another bead-related post from yours truly!!! YAY!!! I didn't have anything beady to say yesterday, so I didn't post. I had plenty of OTHER stuff to talk about, but it would bore any beady people to tears, so I skipped my blogging yesterday (but I did THINK about posting something... so I was thinking about you at least!!)

Ok... here's the beady news of the day. I'm going to the glass store tonight! YAY!!! Now that I'm going to try to make beads again, I had to analyze my glass-stock to see what colors I might be lacking in. I have plenty of glass, but there are colors that I tend to use a LOT of, like pale pink and lime green, so I need to go fill in those gaps. No huge shopping trip (because there aren't funds for that), but I need some little basics like bead-release and a few mandrels.

I use the skinniest mandrels when making beads and I tend to bend them up pretty easily with my big beads. When I went to the basement to get supplies together, I couldn't find a lot of usable ones, so I've got to go buy some. I can buy welding-rod and cut it down to size, but I'm on an "immediate" thing and need to just get some that are ready-to-go right now.

I'm planning on making beads on Saturday at the bead store again. I've signed up for torch time and will be there bright and early with my gear ready to make some girly stuff! Hopefully I'll be able to continue the no-shaking trend and have a good day of beadmaking. I haven't been by to pick up the beads I made last week, but according to Gerry (owner of beads by Design) they turned out really nice. YAY!!!

ok... gotta run and do some REAL work.


Coffee Today - Venti 3 pump Cinnamon Dolce Latte - NO WHIP! (but that was accident - guess it was the universe telling me NO MORE WHIPPED CREAM!)

Music today - My playlist called "if I was a radio station" which is WAY too long to list here because it's something like 32 hours worth of music!

So, it looks like I'm a blogger again, huh? I'm not sure why I'm compelled to spill my guts to the internet world, but I think I just need to write every once in a while and this is a good format to do it.

Nothing real beady to say today. I haven't cleaned out my studio from seed-bead mania (more on that in a second), so there were no beads made this weekend.

Seed bead mania - While I was stockpiling beads for my mermaid kits in 2005, I realized that I had almost as many, if not way more seed bead colors than most bead stores. That led to my selling packaged seed beads by the gram on my web-site in addition to the kits I was selling. This was a big venture and I invested more money in it than I probably should have (though I made the money back).

It was VERY time consuming, however and when I took a break from beadmaking, I tried to keep up the seed bead end of things for a little while, but my heart wasn't in it, nor did I have the time, so I closed that portion of my store as well.

The point of this is that when I had stopped making beads a couple of years ago and continued to do the seed bead merchandising, the seed beads took over my studio. So, right now in my studio are BOXES of seed beads and they are all over the place, including in my glass area. In order to make beads again, I have to clear out those seed-beads and get organized. I HATE getting organized, as anyone who knows me well can attest to.

In the past I'd barter with people to come organize for me.... trading classes or beads for cleaning/organizing. Right now I don't have the means to do that since I'm not teaching and I don't have any beads to trade (other than seed beads which I have TONS of), so I'm going to have to get motivated and clean my own studio!!! UGH!!!!

At least I have motivation now... I know I can make beads again. I spent 2 years not knowing if I could or not. I didn't talk about this in my earlier posts, but I had something going 2 years ago that made my hands tremble and shake to the point that I couldn't make even the simplest of beads. It was SO frustrating because they couldn't trace the cause of it. It eventually got a bit better, but at the same time other life events took the forefront, I took a full-time "real job" and beadmaking just became something that I "used" to do.

In the back of my mind I wondered if I could return to beadmaking, if my shaking had subsided enough to try, but I was afraid. I really really didn't want to sit down at the torch and find out that I had lost the ability forever. I had people say "oh, you could make organic beads, things that don't require as much control," but I didn't want to. I wanted to make what I wanted to make... girly, detailed beads. And if I couldn't do that, it was going to be a big disappointment. And I'd had too much disappointment last year. I didn't need something bringing me down, reminding me of my weaknesses when I was fighting so hard to be strong and independant.

So I didn't even try. I hate to say it, because I'd never want my kids to have that attitude, but I didn't want to try something that I wasn't going to be totally successful at. People said "do it because you love it, not because you're perfect at it," but that wasn't working... I WANTED to be perfect or not to do it at all. Thinking of not being able to make beads was depressing, so I didn't think about it at all.

A month or so ago I decided that it was time to try. To at least see if it was a possibility. I'd spent more than 10 years of my life as a beadmaker and I didn't like the idea of just disappearing off the map because of something that wasn't my choice. But I was really afraid of failure. My hands still shake, (not nearly as much though) and I didn't know if I'd be successful or not. I had no idea if I'd be able to make a dot bead, let alone a bead with a lot of embellishment like most of my beads were. I knew I'd have to clean my studio before I tried, so I kept procrastinating.

I finally decided that I'd have to go about it different route. I'd rent studio time through the Southern Flames (local glass bead group) and since I was reserving space and paying for it, it would make me go, the same way that having a trainer at the gym makes me show up. It gives some sort of accountability, no procrastination allowed.

I called and reserved a space and found out that there wasn't torch-time that weekend, but Beads by Design, the beadstore that hosts the torch-time, generously let me use their space for the day and let me try making beads again. YAY!!!!

I tried little beads first... just dots... and I could do it with no problem!!! My dots were as straight as they ever were and even though I was shaking a little, it wasn't really an issue. I moved on and decided to go for it and make a fairy. I got my stringer colors mixed and just went for it! YAY! It worked... no problems!! So then I tried a mermaid... and again, no problems! I was on auto-pilot and was able to do all the same things I used to do.

I didn't try anything huge like one of the mermaid torsos for Splish Splash. Those took SO much time and energy and control, I didn't want to risk it when I'd had such a good day. I can't even begin to tell you (whoever you are) what a big deal it was that I could make beads again! It changed my outlook on life SO much. Not that I was moping around... I definitely haven't had a moping year. BUT I hadn't felt like an artist and this let me see that there was that possibility still out there.

SO, this is what brought me back to my blog. The hopes that I'll be beadmaking again. The accountability of saying it "out loud" with the internet universe listening. I updated my website so that there might be people that looked at this blog and said "so where are the beads??!!" at some point. I'm hoping that saying I'm GOING to make beads will make me clean up my studio and get busy!

I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll just check in and talk about whatever floats my boat and keep everyone informed what coffee I'm drinking and music I'm listening to!

Stay tuned....

Beads Made - Zero
Coffee Today - Venti 3 pump Cinnamon Dolce Latte with Whip (which I really need to give up!)
Music - NOTHING! aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! I forgot my ipod, so it's way too quiet!

WOW! 2 days in a row??!!!

Maybe I AM blogging again. I've been working on formatting the blog today, so I'm on my way towards it anyways! YAY!!!

A lot of my recent bead-related energy has been directly related to e-mails that I've received from customers/students who were either looking for beads or patterns that they weren't finding on my website OR were asking when I'd be back OR just checking on me. I've put these e-mails into a file on my computer called "fan mail" (which sounds vain and probably is) and when I'm having a down day, I look at those to remind myself that I have (and still can) make things that bring happiness to people... even if just in a little way.

And this brings us to James Taylor...

Mr. Taylor has a song called "That's Why I'm Here" that talks about his doing the same thing (singing Fire and Rain) again and again and again, year after year for people who come to his concerts and "That's Why I'm Here" is his response to this. I totally get it. I'm not an international super-star like James, but at times I felt like I was singing the same song "again and again and again" making my cute-sy girly things, but they DO make people happy (and me too), so maybe "That's Why I'm Here" too.

I think it's "time to make the donuts" again. (I used to refer to this old Dunkin Donuts commercial all the time on days that I didn't really feel like making beads). It might not start because it's something I completely WANT to do right now, but it's something I NEED to do on several levels. I need that positive affirmation that I make something that makes people happy, I need the camaraderie that exists between beaders, I need the ego boost that selling things brings, and there are other positive benefits that come out of it too.

Are you ready for a big teaser???? A certain bracelet which was retired might be making a return... just because it would be an easy way for me to make a "come back." Something I'm used to making and might not have such a challenge conquering. (I guess I'll have to talk more about why I'd have to "conquer" ANYTHING later... but not today.) SO, that might be news to some of you... the return of ___ over ___. But don't tell! It's not a sure thing yet. Just gossip.

The big question now is WHEN can I make beads?? My life is already SO full (as my battered Franklin Planner can attest to) right now. I'm just going to have to find some time to add this element back into my life. I'll keep you posted (excuse the bad pun!) as to how the juggling is going.


Beads Made Today = ZERO
Coffee Consumed Today - Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte (3 pumps with whip)
Music - Sylvie's Long Mellow List (see newly added playlists on the right hand column)

Could it be? Am I ready to blog again? Am I ready to make beads again is the BIGGER question. The title says “the blah blah blah-og of a Beadmaker.” I think that would necessitate my actually BEING a beadmaker to have this blog. Since this was my studio journal, my way to vent about my creative process and keep people up to date on what I was doing in the studio, I abandoned it when I stopped making beads. I wasn’t sure if I’d return to beadmaking, but I didn’t take down the blog. I still get e-mails from people who, who knows how, have found my blog and read the entire thing and want to know “what happened next??!!” (as if my life is so exciting that people would be on the edge of their seats waiting for the next installment.)

I had one friend who told me he read my blog because it was like passing by a car-wreck… he really didn’t want to look, but couldn’t help himself. Thanks a bunch!!!

I have another friend who seems to think that I’m an I Love Lucy episode and that my day to day life would be a great sit-com. I don’t know that I see myself as Lucy, but sometimes I do think I’m sort of like Grace (from Will and Grace) who had some Lucy-esque tendencies, but was a modern girl (and artistic). Maybe people just read for the comedy of errors that I often am. Who knows why, but my silly ramblings seemed to have a following (and apparently, you, if you're reading this had some sort of inclination to read).

So ANYWAYS… here I am again, pondering the idea of blogging and beadmaking.

Am I ready to divulge my every thought to the universe? Hardly. BUT I am sort of ready to talk about my creative process again. I know there were people who really enjoyed reading my day to day ramblings about whatever was going on with me, sometimes bead-related, sometimes just to get new music or coffee ideas.

Without publishing a novel of my past 2 years, let’s just say that my "pseudo-real life" took some REAL LIFE turns and became the forefront for a while. I didn’t really make a choice not to make beads… life made it for me. But, now for various reasons (some of which I might discuss… some of which I won’t), I find myself being pulled back towards beadmaking (and blogging) again.

Since last we spoke, I became a single mom and am now working a full-time REAL job for my family’s business and if that's not enough, I'm in the process of going back to school to get my master's degree. These circumstances will make it very different for me schedule-wise to make beads than it was in the past and I’m not really sure if I can juggle the life I have and want to have, so that will be one of those things to discuss.

If you are reading this and think “cool! I’m going to get to hear all about Sylvie’s new single social life…or the trials and tribulations of being a single mom.” Think again. Though there might be occasional glimpses into real life (including my addiction to starbucks), I’m going to try to keep my blog focused on the creative me. Real life does color the creative process, so I’m not going to pretend that I won’t talk about other stuff from time to time, but I’ll really have to censor myself since this is potentially such a public forum.

There will be times, like there were in the past, when I say something in my blog that makes no sense to anyone but me (or those who know me really well). It will be just to “get it out” and anyone reading this wanting an explanation for my nonsensical sayings will just have to live with that bit curiosity from time to time.

AND if you are reading this and feel a need to correct my grammar… don’t. (and that means you mom!) Even if it drives you completely crazy…don’t do it!!! I never claimed to be grammatically correct and I like over punctuating AND I make up my own words AND I like run-on sentences and fragments… so there! If you leave me comments concerning my writing style, they will be deleted and I will make mean faces at you through the computer (so don’t even think about it!!!)

Ok… so let’s get down to it… Time to make beads again? Time to blog again??? Hopefully. Like I said in February… Stay tuned!


And because I know you're dying to know...today I'm....

Drinking - Chick-fil-A sweet tea w/ 3 lemons
Listening to - My ipod playlist called "Long Mellow List" (I'll add a link to my playlists later) and it's currently playing a James Taylor song.

Testing Testing... 1 2 3.....

Happy Super Wednesday!!!!

(I'm feeling sorry for the other days this week that weren't SUPER like Sunday and Tuesday)

Is it time to return to blogging?

Maybe.

Stay tuned...