Yeah, It's Friday!

Hello! Sorry the posts have been a bit thin, and pics even thinner! As you probably suspected have been getting ready for a show tomorrow, which seems to be the only thing that will shut me up! I had a terrible migraine yesterday (though are there any good migraine's?!), so everything seemed harder than it should have been and to take longer than normal. When the brain hurts, it also doesn't function properly! I went the the Girl Scout office, where I left my purse, which I didn't realize until I got ready to get out of the car at the Dr's office. All the way back to the GS office, I kept thinking, "what if I get stopped!" and because I was aggravated and having a migraine the driving was slightly more erratic than normal! It brings to mind the saying "don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly". My GA was having a good day yesterday because she watched over me many times and in many ways! Anyway, we set up for the craft show in Blue Hill tomorrow tonight, but it is also supposed to drop a 1/4" of ice on us tonight! Then rain tomorrow, so hopefully there will still be a show tomorrow! Have a nice weekend, and if weather permits, and you're in the area stop by and see us in Blue Hill tomorrow!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, today is my birthday. Not just any birthday either, it is my 40th birthday! I don't feel any older than I do most days (which is about 65), though I will now have to enter a different age "category" when filling out forms. What did I get for my bday? The girls at work fixed us breakfast last week Tuesday, since all the "family" were at work that day, I got lunch at Red Lobster yesterday from Chris & Mina (yum!) and I bought two new sweaters at CJ Banks while we were in Grand Island. Hope your turkey day was great, and you didn't over eat (I didn't!). Now on to Christmas! I made some very pretty petite seed beaded ornaments over the break from work, and I also got some wedding bracelets made for my brother-in-law's wedding which will be in August 08. Their colors are peridot green and light rose pink. Very pretty. I am also making some earrings to go with the bracelets, and the bride's veil and jewelry. Have a great Monday!

Doors Close, Windows Open

Hi! Just a quick update, yesterday slightly bummed about low sales at the craft show last weekend, today signed up to go to another craft show in Blue Hill. It will actually work well, since we had made a bunch of beaded gift items, and this will put them out for sale to people wanting gift stuff. Just reminded me of the saying about God not closing a door without opening a window. Happy Tuesday, and if I don't blog tomorrow~have a blessed, deliciously Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Monday again...

Why do Monday's roll around so quickly? For that matter where has November gone? I don't have an answer to either. We went to the state football playoff game on Friday~our Blue Hill Bobcats were undefeated until Friday, which was disappointing, but what a great day to play hooky from work and spend time with Chris and Mina. Beautiful Indian summer weather, and once the game was finished we did a bit of bead shopping, hit Barnes & Noble (one of our favorite Lincoln haunts) and had a delicious supper at Red Robin. We love their Chili Cheeseburgers and Parmesan garlic french fries! We swung through the Country Crafts & Friends show on our way home, and wow were they busy! Unfortunately for us, they were not buying jewelry or beaded gifts. That is the way the craft business is I guess. Saturday and Sunday we spent catching up on chores at home and a huge bag of work that followed me home from work. Lawrence is suffering right now with great sorrow, as a 16 year old girl was killed Friday morning on her way to school for dress rehearsal for their play. She lost control of her pickup and went into a ravine, where she was thrown from the vehicle sustaining massive internal injuries. She was life flighted to Lincoln, but did not survive. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers.

New Items

These are the earrings I told you about yesterday. I really love them all!
This is one of the lampwork spiders using the beads Chris made. The legs have black and gold bugles, with bronze seed beads at the joints of the bugles.

These are 2 beaded combs I made for the craft show at Cindy Consbruck's near Giltner. The show is this weekend Thurs-Sunday.

Late night beading

Hi! I hope you are less tired this morning than I am. Last night was another marathon session of beading. Last night's projects~lampwork "Jodie" bead (made by Jodie Marshall) earrings, and Christmas spider ornaments. I made 6 spiders, and 5 pairs of earrings. The spiders are gorgeous, and the earrings fun and funky like I like to make them. There is one pair of stone earrings that have silver and copper beads accenting the lime/olive green stones (not sure what they are). The spiders use some of Chris's lampwork beads and also 2 of them are made with a 20mm Strass ball pendant Swarovski crystal. One is violet, and one is crystal AB finish. I have some more of the large crystals on order, in topaz, , emerald, Bordeaux, and blue violet. Those will be gorgeous. If you don't know the legend of the Christmas spider it can be found by searching for the Christmas Spider Legend. Did you know that spiders are considered good luck? They were included in crazy quilt designs for that reason. I just don't understand why my luck isn't better, with all the spiders and webs in my house!

Speed Beading

Good Friday to you (though that makes me sound a bit like a leprechaun in my head)! I spent last evening making beaded bookmarks, from an idea my friend Leslie gave me. I made 15 besides putting earrings on cards, pricing and tagging ornaments, and managed to make it to bed by 1:30am. I was tempted to just keep working until it was time to come to my "other" job at 7am, but I didn't think having to pry my hubby's hands from around my throat would be much fun first thing in the morning! He grumbles and shakes his head when I stay up late, but by then I have caught my second wind, and I hate to waste it. Though those late nights might account for my sore throat and cold-coming-on-feeling. Yesterday was a busy day filled with errands and appointments, but what a BEAUTIFUL day to be out doing those chores! We got our business cards, earring cards, and jewelry tags yesterday! So pretty, but YIKES I hated to write the check out! Carla at beads and botanicals showed me a fast (for her) way to make a jewelry display, and I gave her a good laugh about flip flops and Christmas (see quote column). I spent some time at Great Dames (such a FABULOUS store~wonderful gifts, and the lovely ladies that own/run it are so fun to share laughs with) and found a fabulous polymer clay key chain bracelet and a couple other goodies. I stopped in to Graham Gallery to get some info on the Holiday Showcase (at which our jewelry will be for sale) and found the normally cool, collected Angela Graham feeling rather frazzled with time management issues. I had just had that same conversation with the gals at Great Dames, and I think it is something we all struggle with, especially this time of year. So many expectations placed upon us (most of them by us too), that it gets rather difficult to cope with at times. (See the quote at the top of the Quote column to the right~I found that on a pretty brass bookmark at Great Dames!) I will try to get some pictures up of the stuff going to the show tomorrow, and the very awesome bracelet from Viva Beads (bought at the Great Dames store). Check out there online shop at http://www.vivabeads.com/ or stop in downtown Hastings and check out the bracelets, earrings, and cross necklaces at Great Dames. Carla was decorating beads and botanicals for the downtown lighting next Thursday, so be sure to stop in and check her lovely Christmas ideas out or got to her blog from my link on the right!

Pics as Promised

Here are my beautiful angel's waiting to go to new homes, where they will watch over the ears they dangle from!

Beading Update

Yesterday, I took part of the afternoon off from work, because Mina got out of school early, and wanted me to come home. So I went home and made 11 pair of angel earrings! They are so pretty! I will try to get some pics up for you, as I need to get the pics of them anyway before I sell them. We try to photograph everything before it's gone, and we don't have a picture of it. I have a "catalog" photo album of stuff we have made. If you live around central NE, check out the Hastings Tribune article on "Faces of Tribland" about Cindy Consbruck and her "Country Crafts and Friends" craft barn. We will be taking jewelry to Cindy's on Saturday for her sale next week. We will also be taking jewelry into Angela at Graham Gallery this week. Photos soon!

Weekend Notes

Sorry the posts have been pretty thin, nearing time for the shows, and with working there's not been much time for much else! I have been franticly making beaded Christmas ornaments, Mina helped me make snowman earrings yesterday afternoon, and Chris was busy last night doing some jewelry displays using a couple fun picture frames we found, and window screen. These will be used for earring displays. Saturday, we went to Kearney and got Mina a trombone cleaning kit (who knew kids slobber so much playing a musical instrument)! We also stopped in at an awesome shop called "elements" which is a natural foods store, yoga/taichi class, coffee/gift shop all in one. What an awesome store! They had some lavender hand soap that smelled wonderful. A quick trip through Sasha's Beads & Toggles (where I bought a bead spinner for seed beading), and we went to M.O.N.A (Museum of Nebraska Art) where they were having their artist gift showcase. We visited with Jodie Marshall (I bought one of her fun and funky bumpy bead pendants) and we purchased a metal Christmas tree for using as a jewelry display also. Yesterday was church, and a beautiful service for remembering the loved ones we've lost this year, and I spoke on the importance of volunteering. I talked about the book "5 people you meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom. I was really touched by that book when I read it a couple years ago. If you haven't read it, check it out!