Pool party

Remember those beads I was going to list this weekend? Not gonna happen. Obviously, as it is now Monday afternoon. I experienced some almost unprecedented breakage and the entire lot went into the can. Such is life.

We decided against New York. I want to go in the fall, which will require me to take the kids out of school, unfortunately. Oh well, they'll learn more there anyway.
Having a good Spring Break, though. We had friends at the house all weekend. On Saturday, we played in the pool, cooked out and drank wine. Then, on Sunday, more friends came so we played in the pool some more, drank Coronas and then stuffed ourselves on Italian food in the evening. It was lovely. Slightly sunburny, but lovely.

I'm adding this bead to Etsy tonight. I don't generally make hearts but every once in a while I get an urge.



I guess that's it for now. Children are screaming and possibly trying to dismember one another.

Have a rainbows and puppy dogs kind of day!

Spring Break!

Yes, it's true. It's officially Spring Break, so this is probably the last time you'll be hearing from me for the next ten days. Well, maybe - in the interest of preserving my own sanity - I will pop in a couple of times and unload. You might not want to read those. They'll be for my eyes only.

However, before I go, I did want to give you a peep of the beads I've been working on for this week.

These beads will be on eBay starting Saturday. I'll be adding at least 2 more over the weekend, as well:

~Samba~

~Float~

And on Etsy. I have a set of etched Celadon and Silvered Ivory that I'll be adding, as well:

I've joined a lampworker's group on Etsy and we'll be having a 10-20% off group sale starting on April 1. To find the marked down items for the group, search the tags for lestsale. If you're seeking beads, there are some wonderfully talented artists who will be participating, so try not to miss it, even if I don't have anything that you're currently interested in.

Have a great day!

New Stuff!

I've been busy this week. Easter was very fun, though my kids are growing up so fast, it almost makes me sad to watch them hunting Easter eggs. When I watch them, I realize how fast it all goes by and how little time we all have to enjoy those beautiful, innocent times.

I'm trying to plan a quick trip during their spring break, which is next week. I'm thinking New York City. I've never been there and I've always wanted to go so I thought, 'Why not?' If anyone has any suggestions about places to go or see or stay, please email or comment. I would love the feedback.

I have a couple of new beads that I'm being wishy-washy on. I'm not sure where to list them. Have a look and tell me what you think.

~*SHINE*~

and this, as yet unnamed, seashell

Have a great day,

Laurie

Back to school

Contrary to the obvious lack of new stuff posted, I have been working this week. I call it a "Technique Week", when I'm talking to myself which, sadly, is quite often. The thing is, I get so busy sometimes, making beads to sell or to give as gifts, that I don't always have time to just hang out and work on new ideas or learn interesting techniques that I've seen in the trade.

Sure, every time I'm at the torch, I'm learning, but sometimes there is a specific idea I want to try or a type of bead I want to work the kinks out of and, for that, I have to go back to school.

Also sadly, yesterday I worked all day, right up until an hour before my son's baseball game. I'd been planning to throw some dinner at the kids, jump in the shower and then bolt. My house, dog, children and self were a fairly huge mess after several days of neglect, but I'd intended to remedy that today, if I could just get yesterday over with. As I was debating on how best to proceed, I heard a knock on the door.

It was my mother-in-law.

I'd forgotten she was coming over before the game. I must have looked like a total deer in the headlights when she walked in. I mean, seriously, my house was a mess. I was feeding my kids PB & J for dinner. I had a big coffee stain on my shirt. My dog smelled terrible (in his defense, he has a skin disease).

I was horrified and then tried to make excuses. I could tell by her face that she wasn't buying it.

But you know what really pissed me off? The same thing that always pisses me off. My husband- who could have reminded me about her when he got home and saw the condition of everything. We've been on the outs lately and he's very passive-aggressive. I think he thought it was funny. And he was busy in the shower or whatever and left me to entertain her the entire time. He didn't even see her until about 10 minutes before it was time to leave. I only had time to change my shirt. I didn't get to shower, put on makeup, touch up my toenail polish - nothing! I had to got to the game looking like a total pig.

Whatever. Here's the bead I'm going to list on Etsy in a little while:

Here's another bead I made which is actually quite pretty but I can't get a decent picture of it, so it will probably live in my dresser dish for the rest of it's life. So sad. Such a waste.

Have a better day than I had yesterday!

You Rock!

First of all, sorry for the long delay in writing. Not that you are out there, waiting by your keyboards, desperate for words from my mundane life. Are you?

Seriously, I've just been busy trying to keep up. I've had a few custom fusing projects to finish up and I found myself with a severe bead defecit, which brings me to the next point of business.

THANK YOU!!!!

A week or so ago, I put the idea out there that I'd like to to try more of my lampwork on Etsy. I like it over there because of the quality of work and the quality of people who buy and sell there, as well as the immediacy of the sales. Not that there's anything wrong with eBay. I've never had anything but good experiences and the best of customers. But it has changed over time and it's difficult to 'get in' there, to develop a niche.

Well, I did put more up on Etsy and the response was wonderful. So, thanks to all of you out there who supported that decision. You are the best, nicest, and most supportive of people and I hope that we'll all benefit. From here on out, though I'll still list on eBay, I'll continue to add more of my new beads, at lower prices on Etsy.

That said, here's what I have on eBay right now. More hollows, this time with silvered ivory shards.

~*AQUARIAN*~

And here's what I have on Etsy. It's not huge but, in my opinion, it's very beautiful. So nice, in fact, that I've made one for myself, as well. (The one I kept is not as pretty as this one, but that's how it always works. It truly is impossible to replicate a bead.) However, it did turn out to make the most gorgeous necklace! I've worn it 3 times already and had a steady stream of compliments. I think I might start wearing jewelry more often.

~*RISE*~

So, thanks again, everybody and have a great day.

Like a little bee, I am

Busy, busy, busy.I can't keep up with myself. Between baseball for the boys (big and little), swimming for the girl, golf for all of us, housework, schoolwork, my dive into organic gardening and trying to keep my tiny empire afloat, I'm more like a headless chicken than a bee!

And hey, by the way, I have to say (so cute, she rhymes) to one reader who shall remain unnamed who disliked my spinach-mushroom-tofu burrito so much that she said it was like eating dog barf...phooey on youey! I mean, you seriously didn't like it? Seriously? Now I am concerned for myself 'cuz I still just love this thing. I love it so much that I make my husband eat it.

Which reminds me, how do you know when your marriage is in trouble? Early warning signs? A refusal to eat certain health-conscious and yet delicious foods is not a sign is it? Well, is it?

Got new running shoes this weekend. Big shoes, big expense but I have to say that, after doing 4 miles this morning and experiencing absolutely 0 bunion pain (yes, bitches, I have bunions!) it was well worth the $75 dollars. Yay me!

On a more serious note, I would like to have any feedback possible on what you all think of Etsy.com. I am considering a major move of my lampwork bead sales to this venue and possibly easing away from eBay. The economy is bad for all of us here in the U.S. and Etsy is cheaper all the way around. I can list at lower prices, I can list more and list more often, as well as more quickly. Shipping fees would probably be lower as well, because it is a direct sale and more than one purchase can be made at a time and shipped together. I am getting closer to this decision but would really like to hear input. So, give it to me.

That being said, here's a new set of hand-blended hollows that are just about to be listed on, yeah, eBay.

~*Easter Parade*~

Have a fantabulous evening, y'all.

Love this bead!

I've been really busy this week, though you'd never know it based on beads I've posted for sale. Seriously, I've been doing some mad sessions at the torch. I go through spells where nothing is working, nothing is clicking, the well is just dry. Then, I'll start getting ideas and they'll start coming so fast, I can't keep up with them. I'm like a stutterer, my brain gets ahead of my hands. Sometimes, it gets ahead of my skills. I have so many ideas that I just don't have the ability or the time to execute. That gets a little frustrating, but I keep at it. Sadly, I have run out of oxy and have to wait until next week for a delivery. That's o.k., 'cause I think I'm giving myself a raging case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Seriously.

I have a crazy song stuck in my haed right now. You know that Amy Winehouse song, "Rehab"? I saw a commercial for her album on TV a few nights ago and now I keep walking around singing, "Wanna send me to rehab. Oh no, no, no, no, no." Is that the right number of "no's"? I'm not even a fan of hers. Not because of the drug abuse and stuff. It's because she sounds fakey to me. She has a great voice, but she always sounds like she's imitating Billy Holiday. I mean, she's an upper-middle class British girl who's trying to sound like a heroin addicted black former-prostitute from the 1930's (or whenever). I don't get her, but that song is catchy. "Oh no, no, no, noooo!"

So, here's a bead that I'm posting on eBay 2morrow. I am so totally in love with this bead, if it were pie, I'd eat it! I have no idea why. I think it's the colors.

~*HUSH*~

Wasting time

Not really wasting time. More like enjoying it. I thought I'd put up a couple of pics of what we've been up to for the last few days.

Here's one of Connor about 40 seconds before we had to have the ride stopped so he could get off. Oh well, at least he didn't throw up!

And here's one of my little speed demon. Not really, she was totally pokey but she loved driving by herself. Until she rear-ended the gocart in front of her and got yelled at by the guy running the ride!

Though I haven't had much time the past week, I do have some new beads but still haven't photographed them yet. Sorry.