Psssttt....there are a few ringlet kits in stock

Heather made me ten more sets of the retro and pink lime green glass rings. I kitted up a few ringlet kits last week.





Be forewarned that we will be closing the store Monday morning for three weeks while we travel.

Back in the Studio

You may recall the day before leaving for Portland I decided to make some significant studio changes. While that might have been ill advised, it was nice to return home to the new cabinets and organized closet.

I replaced a table that had a tendency to accumulate mess



with these storage cabinets. More room is always welcome and I will be organizing and putting away all the various messes which now adorn the surfaces of the studio.

I neatened up the contents of the closet,


placing things in the labeled boxes. There is a somewhat loose relationship of the contents, but with good labeling I should be able to find the less used supplies like adhesives, rubber stamps and the like.



The boxes on top of the cabinets are there temporarily. I have been collecting beads to go with the four color palette's I've selected for the next book.

Here are two of them, one with goldy metallics and a hint of reds and oranges

and the next all pearlescent and crystally sparkliness with a hint of white alabaster and chrysolite, although I may have to add some erinite and peridot.

I still have a fair amount of studio work to do, to restore the studio to the zen like order that I prefer. And only a very few days to do it in so I will be getting busy.

Travel Day

Last nights Portland Bead Society meeting was excellent, with many friendly faces in the audience. I was thrilled when Marcie Stone, husband Greg Hansen and mother Fran Stone walked in. Marcie who owned the Shepherdess in San Diego before her move to Oregon was influential and instrumental in my bead journey, and that of many many others.

Also in the room was Teresa Sullivan who I spent the afternoon with. And Isle, Jennifer, Joy, Karie, Dusti, Jeanine, Cindy and I could go on and on. I always find it amazing how many beaders I know all over the world.

Today finds me traveling home back to my sweetie. A few days of rest, at least that is the plan and then prepping for our next adventure to Holland and then Germany, where Mark will thankfully join me.


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Baby Knits

It's so wonderful to see the hand knits being worn. I posted it's completion back in June and now I get to see her precious little self wearing it.




The darling Miss Malayna wearing a hand knit by her Grandma, yours truly!

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Portland

Man I've had an excellent day. There were 11 very knowledgeable beaders there to learn Rings of Saturn. This is a classic design that I've taught for the last ten years, but beads and skills evolve and today Carmen closed her ring with light gold metallic 2 mm crystals with an excellent result (that I would totally share if I had photographed it, tomorrow).

The class is held in the light bright classroom of Fibers in Motion, owned by the very talented and inspiring LuAnn, who was delightful.

Cherie insist she is not photogenic but I think this picture of her is darn cute, look at those dimples. She is wearing her twilight from the book and the dark Greys and crystal look beautiful together.


After class Luann recommended that I would enjoy Switch and she was so right. I immediately bonded with all the gals there and discovered Wendy.


After a bit of discussion Wendy told me her friend also beaded. I asked her friends name....Fran Stone, who I just happen to know, such a small world as the saying goes. The green boots? Totally had to have them, handmade and so comfortable. My new friend Wendy owns a pair too, too bad we didn't get that photo op, but the sandals she did have on were amazing.

I thoroughly enjoyed a sushi dinner and now it's time for a little beading.

Tomorrow is day two of Rings of Saturn and I can't wait.

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The Before photos

I thought it only fair to show you the mess, the real mess that happens behind closed doors. The unproductive mess that unsettles me every time I need to retrieve something from the mess,




and the mess that collects on table tops as I come and go on my travels.




For starters the table was cleaned off, unassembled and moved to the garage, to be sold on Craig's list at some time when I'm home long enough.



Boxes are being assembled and labeled with the contents of the messy closet. Hopefully this is a good plan. The closet contains less often used craft supplies. So far a lot of thread, some vintage hiroshima beads and all of the shrink plastic, rubber stamp, colored pencil type supplies have been stored.



This is a funny time to be doing this, as Lori Pyler of Waterstone jewelry does a weekly Studio Feature and this week she featured mine! And made it look like the beautiful space it is....as long as you don't open the closet. However I know the changes we are making will improve the space that much more. Now go have a look at Lori's blogpost to see the better side of my studio. And stay tuned for photos when we complete the latest 'remodel'.

Thank you Lori for sharing my space so beautifully.

Studio revamp again?!

Why do I wait until I don't think I can be any busier and then decide it is once again time for change? Well I'm not sure, but that is exactly what I'm doing. I decided today that the outer beadroom which houses a messy closet, the shipping department, a table and chairs, could be put to much better use.

I decided the table needs to go and I need storage units with closed doors. Off to IKEA with measurements in hand, I got several white boxes to at least unify the mess in the closet and 3 storage units with doors and shelves, working height so I can still use the tops to prep shipments, and 16 inches deep so I can still fit long narrow folding tables in the event I hold a class here.

I think it will open up the space nicely and reduce the clutter that collects on the table top. Well at least the clutter will be kept to a smaller space. Next I would like to hang 4 of the slick white magnet boards above the new cabinets for capturing inspiration, or maybe some shadow boxes of finished work, that might be fun.

Photos when all is complete.....but don't hold me to a schedule, the boxes need to be screwed together! Nine screws apiece, and the storage units, well most of us know how IKEA assembly goes.....

In the meantime Mark is kitting Ringlet kits in retro and orange pink lime. I'm taking the first batch with me to Portland. What is left will go to Europe and after that back onto the website. Which by the way, the store will be closing while we are in Europe, re-opening with some new inventory when we return.

I'll be back when I finish screwing 13 boxes together, nine screws each, I am not going to do the math, that would be depressing.