I Heart Macro - Turkey Run

It is my favorite time of the week, I Heart Macro!  If you would like to participate or see what other people are posting, head on over to Studio Waterstone and check it out. 

I forget how many weeks it has been since we have participated and I have missed it a lot!  This week I thought I would share some old but goodies from a trip mom and I made to one of our state parks, Turkey Run, in May 2009.  I told mom we will have to go again in the spring and fall of 2012.  I miss walking around, getting muddy and taking photos.  I am hoping by the spring mom's foot will be all healed up and we can go hiking.

Okay, enough with me babbling, on with the photos!  Oh, the camera was new so I was playing with a lot of the filters.  I hope you enjoy!


I love how the dewdrops just are on the edges of the leaf


 

I thought it was cool finding this leaf just sitting on this rock


 

Playing with one of the filters.  Love the pop of green on the stump


 

Just loved the bubbles that formed between two stumps in a creek

 

Playing with the filters again

 

Playing with the filters - love how the water looks

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Where to Begin...

Earlier this week my back was killing me.  I seemed to be fine on Monday and Tuesday, but Tuesday night my left side started to really hurt.  I about started crying while I was taking a shower to go into work Wednesday and then when I got out of the car, at work, I had to slowly uncrink myself to stand up straight.  There were a few things I HAD to get done at work and then I left, went home and laid flat for the rest of the day.  I now know some of what mom goes through when her back and neck is acting up on her - it freaking sucks!  It is now Saturday and I think I am about back to normal, or as normal as I get :)

This is the garage right now.  Mom has all the inventory laid out because we need to see what got swiped at the show last week (we think a pair of earrings and ring were stolen) and we also need to start re-labeling everything for our last show of the year.  This show they give the artists vendor numbers and we have to use that on the inventory.  So, inventory, re-label and wipe everything down to get ready for the Frankfort show.

These are pieces that mom and I need to get filed and sanded so I can enamel them tomorrow.

These are done and all we need to do is form the large cirlce into a bowl and then enamel them.

Except for Wednesday and Friday night I have been on the torch making beads.  As you can see I like having a lot of glass out to play with.  Off to the left is also a box full of glass that I haven't put away yet.  I figure I hide the glass so mom doesn't freak out on me being messy :)

These are beads that need to be taken off the mandrels and cleaned.  But the following images are of the beads I have been working on this week.

These two beads are experimental beads - I wanted to see what the beads looked like before I made a whole set of them.  Plus mom tells me to make pairs, so if I don't like them at least she can make them into earrings.  Well, I like them so I plan on making up a set of these.

 These are my dew drop beads.  I am having a lot of fun making them because I love seeing the patterns that the frit makes when I shape the beads.

Today and tomorrow mom and I have a whole list of things we need to get done.  I am also meeting my best friend for lunch, yippee!  I have more beads I need to make, need to file and sand, inventory, make a couple of customer pieces, enamel, and order a whole list of things.  I love weekends like this!  I hope you all have a great one!

So Much Stuff and Feedback Welcome

October 2011 Bead Trends

First off, mom and I received our package from Bead Trends with our necklace and two magazines on Friday.  We have our "Pod O' Pink" necklace in this issue.

The polymer clay "Pod" is from BeeTree by m.e., ribbon from Jamn Glass and lampwork beads by us.  I am really happy with how this piece turned out.

This past Friday mom and I took off from work so we could prep for our show this past weekend.  I thought this was a great photograph of mom.

This is our set up with the garage door open because it was so nice.  Now if the weather could be this nice all year long I would be one happy person!

This was my work area.  I was re-stringing a necklace, which I need to re-string again, and then I crimp the necklaces and bracelets because mom doesn't do that.  The one necklace, blue beads, in the back is going to be re-strung because both mom and I don't like how it looks.  I am thinking mom should have used the blue freshwater pearls instead.

This is our table setup for the show on Saturday and Sunday.  This was Portage's first show, so it was small but had a nice range of artist there.  We were set up next to a stained glass artist and a photographer.  There were other jewelry artists there but each of them did something different that there wasn't an over abundance of jewelry.

Left side of the table

Right side of the table

Mom and I are going to give the show another try next year.  We sold enough to pay for the booth fee, gas and hotel room.  I do have to say it was nice to talk to the customers and give them an idea of what we do, so they came away with a better appreciation of the work that is involved.

This past weekend mom and I were talking about re-vamping the Etsy shop.  I am thinking of removing all the necklaces (possibly the bowls too) and just have our enameled pendants out there and start adding our lampwork beads.  We are also thinking of adding Viking Knit links for sale too. 

Please let me know what you all think.  I know there are so many awesome lampworkers out there, but some of you did leave wonderful comments on our beads and that you would like to see them for sale.  If you have thoughts/comments please leave feedback.  I would seriously love to have feedback from you all!

Now, I guess I should go to work!  You all have a wonderful Monday and an awesome week!

A Recap

In my last post I mentioned about a decision I had to make.  Well, the decision has been made and now I have to live with it even if it bites me in the ass.  It is still eating at me but I need to keep on trucking and live with that decision and "Don't Look Back".  Right now the jewelry is more important to me than going for another job that pays more.  I would really like to have the extra money but then I wouldn't have the time to go back to school to finish my degree or do what I really love with mom, the jewelry.  So, decision made and life moves on. YIPPEE!!!

Last weekend was our show at Sleepy Creek Vineyards.  Saturday it started out rainy, which was not fun especially for setting up.  We were lucky and got the tent up before the rain started to come down hard.

Rain falling in the pond

Outside our tent

You can see the rain falling in the pond, which was located right outside our tent.  Mom and I love this spot and we have had it ever since Joe and Dawn started the art festival.  I think you can see the rain coming down pretty hard outside the tent.

The sun did eventually come out and people started to show up and shop.  At this fair there is live music, food, lots of artists and of course the wine - must not forget the wine!

This was our set up for this show.  Because of the rain we couldn't set up our screen, so everything is laid out on the back table.  Made it a little cramp but at least nothing got soaked.

I had to share these two photographs.  Behind our tent was a humming bird feeder and we had this little guy visit it throughout the day.  I have one photo of him stopping and actually drinking and I finally got a picture of him flying to the feeder.  How awesome is that!

This is mom's garage right now.  Once we got home, unloaded the car and then vegged the rest of the week.  We did NOTHING!  I haven't even blogged, Facebooked or anything.  I think I really needed a break.  Now, I am back, you poor poor people :)

Today the sun is out so mom and I have the tent set up to dry off.  I also set up one of the tables so mom can go through the inventory and clean up the silver before our show this weekend.  I am going to finish up this blog post, close out Pinterest (Which I am freaking hooked on now - two hours yesterday and three hours today), go work on cleaning up beads and making new beads.  Yes, like I said, I think mom and I need a small break from everything and now I am ready to get back to work.

Oh, I have to share what I did to my hair yesterday.

I went pink again.  It has been, about five years, since I had my hair colored pink.  I think I felt like I needed to do something different.  I love it when my hair is pink and I need to figure out the budget so I can keep doing it.  It makes me smile and that is all that matters!!!

Have a great weekend all!  I am glad to be back!

Lots and Lots Going On

I wanted to give a big Thank You to Lori for putting on the best ever Bead Soup Blog Party!  I know this was a big undertaking and Lori did a wonderful job as usual.  I also want to give a big thanks to all of you who stopped by and left comments.  I hope to respond to all of your comments next week.  I am working on this blog post and then I am off to work in the studio to try and get some things made up for the show this weekend.  I am also still working my way through the rest of the wonderful soup participants.  I will get to your blogs, it is just going to be really really slowly.  Life is sort of getting in the way of my passion: blogging and beading!

This is what greeted us on Sunday morning, before our show.  It was sprinkling before we rolled into our site and then everyone was yelling there was a rainbow.  So, I got out of the car with the camera and took some pictures.  What a great way to start our show.

The screen we use to put earrings, pendants, and stainless steel necklaces on

The right side of the tent

The left side of the tent

The front of the tent

Mom and I had a wonderful time this year.  I did have my friend Lisa, who is such an awesome girl, come and help me set up.  Mom was still in her boot and I didn't want her to get hurt. 

One of the volunteers was going around taking photos and she took a picture of mom and I.  I usually don't like to have my photo taken, but I wanted one of us together.  I think we are looking fine!!!

This past Tuesday was a co-worker's 60th birthday.  I have known Donna since I was 12 years old.  Mom and Donna use to work together out at the airport on Purdue University.  Then 10 years ago I started working in the same department that mom worked in and then seven years ago I started working with Ms. Donna.  I have been waiting 10 years to decorate both mom's cube and Ms. Donna's cube for their 60th birthday's.  I missed both of their 50th birthdays, so I was making up for it.  I even told Ms. Donna she couldn't take the day off :)  My friend Lisa and I decorated the cube Monday night.  As you can tell I had a lot of fun!!!

This is the inside of the cube.  Yes, I tin foiled her chair, glasses, keyboard, mouse, keyboard tray, phone, her folders with her work papers, her two coffee mugs and spoon.  There are 180 balloons on the floor too.

This is Ms. Donna and me.  She was such a good egg for putting up with me!!!  You be the best Donna!

I don't think I have told you all that I have been exercising again.  Well, I have been.  I am on day 36 of keeping track of my food on MyFitnessPal.com.  It is an awesome site and I highly recommend it.  I don't eat any differently than I did before, but I now know how many calories I am sticking in my mouth and I am watching how much I take in.

I am also on day 32 of exercising and day 10 of getting up at 4:30 in the morning to work out before heading off to work.  I have been using the 30 Day Shred and various walking tapes to keep me going.  I can tell a big difference in my attitude and how I feel.  I have my fingers crossed that I can keep this up.  It took me 10 years to get this way, I just hope it doesn't take me 10 years to get back into shape.  I just have to keep doing it.  Since I have made a routine out of it, I hope it becomes just something I need to do in the day.  Plus I like fitting in my smaller clothes again :)

This is how I have been feeling since Monday.  The exercise is helping but I feel like I need to bang my head against the wall.  Or, I feel like this:

A dog running in circles chasing its tail.  I have a decision I need to make and I feel like I am running, running, running in circles.  I thought I had made the decision a few months ago, but I seriously was not happy a few months ago, PISSED, was more like it.  I have since started exercising, thinking about what I want and I am so freaking confused. 

I am making a list of pros and cons.  I need to really figure out what I want and what I want to focus on.  Sometimes it can be so hard to be an adult.

But, this weekend is to be fun, not thinking about a decision I have to make (at least not yet).

This week is the 4th Annual Salt Fork River Festival at Sleepy Creek Winery.  Mom and I have been at this art festival since Joe and Dawn started it and we LOVE IT.

This year will have over 50 artists, live music and art demos.  If you are in the Danville/Oakwood area of Illinois I highly recommend stopping in.  This festival is so much fun, plus there is wine and wine slushies!

I guess that is it for now.  I am not sure if I will have time to blog this weekend or not.  We have an hour drive to Sleepy Creek on Saturday and Sunday, so who knows.  I just can't wait for this weekend.  Oh, forgot to tell you mom is now out of the walking boot and into regular shoes as of last night.  Mom can also now drive and I no longer have to drive her around.  YEAH, for both of us.  Have a great one everyone!