I'm Behind and It's Only January 4th!

I finally caught up on the several days of backlogged messages and wonderful "Happy New Year" e-cards sent to me by many friends across the world. Of course, catching up on those things means I'm running behind on today's post. All of the great plans I had, well, they are already running behind. Snowflake? I'm behind. Art challenge? Yeah - behind again. 

A friend joined this challenge and I decided it would be fun.
Today's challenge is puppets, and I'm not fond of those, so I'm
skipping today. I might catch up with two days ago - create a
piece of art in ten minutes that you leave for someone else to find.
Interested in the challenge? Here's a link. 

Tonight's "empty" schedule will be filled with cooking meatballs ... but perhaps I can push that off until tomorrow, since we won't need to be at my nephew's house for the annual family get-together until 3:00 pm. I've actually got all of the ingredients to do crock-pot sweet and sour meatballs, so I'm probably going to push it off until morning and do it really quickly then. Or not. Are you getting an idea why I'm already behind schedule and it's only the 4th of January? 

I was only going to make one pound of meatballs, but
DH told me to double the recipe because it is for a lot
of people. So, I'll do that. I bought the extra ingredients
on my way home from the gym yesterday, so I'm set. 

At the shop, I had all good intentions of de-Christmasing the store. Although that's probably not an official word, it basically means pulling down all of the holiday garlands and decorations, stripping the tree of any remaining ornaments (which I'll put on 50% off savings), and taking the tree back downstairs. I'm not really sure why I'm holding onto the tree right now, but we'll see. Plans are to be closed in late summer/early fall, but I've learned over the years that plans can change. 

It's time to turn off the holiday lights. I'm going to be on a ladder pulling
down the tinsel garland and the fake evergreen garland, I've already
pulled the wreaths from the door and front cabinet. I want my store back
to normal once again. 

I think I might be caught up with most of my emails pending and my various "real" things I had to do like renewing website licenses, etc. The beginning of a new year is always rather exhausting. I need to evaluate whether or not to renew the store's website. I wanted to let it die last year - I can't update it (software is outdated) and it's basically an expensive placeholder right now. Yet another decision to be made. 

I'm running just to catch up and it's only the 4th of January! Oy! Maybe
I'll catch up a little bit today ... or not LOL. 

But, it's only the 4th of January and I have a little bit of breathing space. I'm going to take that opportunity and take a few deep breaths. Have a wonderful Saturday and a great weekend. I'll be back on Monday. 

First Call-Out for Holiday Cards

Today is my "day off" and it'll be a treat to be away from the shop for a day, even though I'll be working on shop things while I'm home. I have a bunch of items that need some serious cleaning, and since the polish I prefer to use requires warm water (something that we don't have at the shop), I'll be collecting and bringing home several items to work on today at my craft room sink. The goal of bright, shiny and happy jewelry is in sight. 

Not all silver should be shiny, especially some of my older pieces,
but generally speaking, most silver can benefit from a good
shine now and again. 

I received my holiday card envelopes and card stock yesterday, so I'm ready to move on to the printed portions of this year's card. I'm still cutting the included ornaments out, and I need to find a bit more of the card stock I'm using for those - hopefully fairly easily. At least this is working out well, I'm spending an hour or so on this portion every morning. 

I might as well get started on my address list for this
year's Solstice/Holiday card. Please let me know if you
want to be added to the list, even if you've gotten cards
from me in the past. 

Since I'm hip deep into my 2019 Holiday Cards, I'm throwing open the doors to my f-lists. DON'T assume that because you've received a card from me in the past, you're going to get one this year. I always make a limited quantity, and people are added and dropped from my Card List every year. PLEASE, make your desires known. I'd LOVE to send you a holiday card, but it won't happen if you don't speak up. 

THIS IS MY FIRST CALL-OUT FOR HOLIDAY CARDS. Let me know if you want one mailed to you. After my family is taken care of, the rest of what I make gets sent to friends (I reserve a single card to stay with me and remind me of themes and images I've used in the past, but I send out all of the rest). Email me, message me, phone me, but please ... let me know. I want to send one to YOU! 

There we go. Clear enough? LOL On that hopeful note, I'd better get back to work on them. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Juggling and Multitasking

I had a lot on my plate yesterday, and didn't get nearly enough completed, but I gave it my best attempt. There just aren't enough hours in the day, so I'm taking a lot of things back to the shop with me today and I'm hoping I'll have the chance to tackle things there instead. It's not ideal - I have to leave things and come back to them after helping customers, but apparently that's the only option left to me at this point. I'll give it my best shot. 

We all juggle multiple tasks all the time. It
takes a lot to keep things moving safely
and consistently all of the time. I'm not
sure I do this as well as I used to. 

I don't have a choice, at this point. It's doing things at the shop over the next few days or not getting them done at all, and deadlines are breathing down my neck. There are too many things on my plate right now and I was never excellent at juggling. 

Pushing things onto the back burner usually isn't a good solution. In
this case, the entire house would burn down. SO not good! 

How about you? Is your personal plate of things to get done getting a bit out of hand? Maybe it's time to re-evaluate choices and re-prioritize actions. I have to do that periodically because there are tasks that have to be done, others that probably should be done but are a step down in urgency, and still more that are pushed onto that back burner. The problem is when the back burner is so crowded that it spills forward into the boiling soup of current stuff. 

Sometimes it seems that things just don't mesh. But
then, a pathway can be found, as in this maze made
of mesh. There is a way through, but mazes like
this make my brain ache. 

When plans not only need to be established, but also have to mesh with those of other people, prioritizing can be nearly impossible. For instance, I may plan on cleaning X or doing Y over a weekend, but DH may plan on doing A and his doing that may create more work for me. He also has a schedule to keep to, and his is no less (or more) important than my own. 

DH and I don't dance well together, we step on each
other's toes and we hear different music. Oh well,
not everyone is Fred and Ginger together. 

It's a dance - some people do it really well, but others stumble over their own feet as well as the feet of their partners. I suspect DH and I are in the latter category right now. *sigh* Have a wonderful Thursday and try to stay warm. We're entering several days of sub-zero temps, starting this afternoon, so it's time to pull out the scarf and bundle up. Ack! I'll be back on Friday. 

Thoughts On A Busy Wednesday - Multitasking

It's Wednesday and I'm already falling behind. I blame this on Chickie who is taking the week for a "stay-cation". While she's out gallivanting around the cities and going to see exhibits and movies, I'm working doubly hard. Today will be crazy because I not only have my in-store stuff, but several large mail orders to process at the same time. My silvering hair will probably have a few more streaks in it by the end of today. 

Weeks without any days off require a lot of multitasking. I'm squeezing
my normal tasks into compressed bits and pieces of time. It's
spreading me a bit thin. 

Since I don't have a "day off" this week, I'll miss my weekly chat with Aearwen *sob*. We have a odd friendship, she and I, but it works. We've never met each other face-to-face, but have known each other through Live Journal for years now. Something just clicked with us and we started corresponding via email and texts, and then graduated to phone calls several years ago. Now my weeks seem incomplete without hearing her voice through my phone. I'm sending a *wave* out to her along with a "talk to you next week" assurance. There are some weeks when that simple hour-long conversation keeps me sane - LOL. 

I've always been a multitasker, and do it quite well. I've worked with
people who are incapable of concentrating on more than one thing
at a time, though, and it's super frustrating. Without a doubt, there
are some professions that almost require the ability to multitask. 

Laundry, which is usually a focus on my Wednesdays, is shoveled into odd bits and pieces when I have to work on that day. I was able to two two loads yesterday by starting one load at 4:00 am and the second as I switched that first to the dryer at 6:30 pm. I'm going to try to get to sheets and towels tonight, but part of that load may be split into two days instead. Shoehorning things into bits of time are a necessity when I work six days straight. 

Multitasking isn't bad or good, it just has to be
done sometimes. My hubby is focused - multitasking
is totally outside his box. More women that I know
can successfully multitask than men. Maybe because
we always have a ear out for what the kids might
be up to in those rare quiet times? 

Grocery shopping - I'm going to do my best to do a very quick run this morning between the pool and leaving for work. That's going to set me 30-45 minutes behind schedule, but I need lettuce and a few other things and, unfortunately, can't just snap my fingers and ask the housekeeper or butler to pick some up for me. I am the housekeeper, maid, butler, and general go-to person, like most women I know who live in a household. We're the ones who keep everything running on an even keel. 

Multitasking is a balancing act that sometimes can fall
apart. When balanced well, however, it can be wonderful
to behold. Today's trick will be to keep the momentum
going and not fall flat on my face. 

So, I'll be delighted when Sunday comes and I can have a real day off. For today, enjoy your Wednesday, and if you get a chance, shop at a small, family owned store today. Help the small business economy instead of a big box giant. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with less on my to-do pile and more in the accomplished and checked off the list pile. Hurrah! 

Thoughts, Creativity and Friends

Normally I have dreams of my own - books, characters and plots from things I'm reading don't interfere with my sleep. Last night was an exception. Suddenly I was in the middle of a series I'm currently reading, and I wasn't very happy about it. I awakened because I was experiencing someone else's plotline and story development ramp, and I was very unhappy. Finally I was able to get back to sleep and dream my own dreams, allowing myself to get some needed rest and storyline progress of my own. Does this ever happen to you? Do you ever find yourself in the middle of something you've been reading or perhaps have seen on the movie or television screen? Do you like it when that happens? Or do you react as I did - with anger that my mind couldn't find its own pathways to wander?

Wandering someone else's plotline in dreams seems like
wandering down an unknown path, but having fences
alongside that compel you to follow the path exactly.
I found it a very frustrating experience. 

I'm busy planning and beginning the work on my winter Solstice cards. I'm making my usual quantity of 50, and if I have more people than that to send to, I'll purchase already-made cards for the small overage. I'm already excited about the possibilities for this year's card. I know the basic theme I want to design and make, but I need to fine tune it. I did buy one new piece of equipment a couple of weeks ago that opens a new door of exploration for me, and I have some other new things that I purchased when Archiver's had their bankruptcy sale earlier this year, before they closed their doors forever. This year's cards should be a lot of fun for me to make, but to have them complete in a timely fashion (and still be able to write my 50,000 words for NaNo in November) I have to start working on them now. I'd better double-check how much black card stock I have already on-hand and get more tomorrow if I need some.

I never thought I would own an embossing machine. After all, the
last thing I needed was another piece of equipment. But I've seen it
used in so many applications over the years with so many different
media, I just had to dive in when I saw it for 50" off at Joanne's a few
weeks ago. So I now own an embosser. Yummy! 

I really dislike ordering from Amazon, but occasionally I have to. I wanted a messenger bag for my State Fair trip later this month, and since I needed a couple of other things from Amazon, decided to add one to the order. It arrived on Friday and ICK, just ... ICK! I didn't like it at all when it was staring me in the face. So yesterday I started the dog and pony show necessary to download the return shipping label, packed it in a box, and shipped it back to them. I have received two separate emails from them - one telling me that my refund will be applied to my credit card within four weeks, the other stating that it has already been applied. Which to believe? I'll have to check my credit card statement to be sure.

I really don't like ordering from Amazon. I look at Amazon as
the Wall Mart of on-line retailing with questionable quality
and difficult returns. I'm very careful about what I purchase
there because returning things is always a hassle. 

Aren't friends the very best? I know I had talked about on-line and real-life friends within the past few days, but yesterday I received a very unexpected, fabulous gift from an online friend that totally blew me away and had me laughing. Huinare sent me a Ping Ling wind-up mechanical creature that is simply beauty in motion. I love it! When we had a chance to spend a day together earlier this year, laughing our way through the Science Museum, we saw a bunch of these in the gift shop. I thought they were really interesting but wouldn't allow her to buy one for me. After all, she's a struggling college student and I'm not. But she decided that I just had to have this lovely critter and I'm both delighted with her choice and humbled by her generosity. Thanks SO MUCH Huin. It is truly fabulous!

This little Ping Ling is so cute! I love the different
colors of the metal and the locomotion in the legs, and
I laughed at the brushes at the bottom front and back.
It's a great gift and, like the best ones, was totally
unexpected. 

Now if I can get some writing tasks caught up, I'll be very pleased indeed. I'm trying to get things a bit more under control before my time compresses with the Renaissance Festival (starts in two weeks) and the State Fair (starts on the 21st). I hope everyone reading my blog today has a wonderful and creative Tuesday.

A List of Tasks & A Book Recommendation

Sometimes listing out my tasks can motivate me to actually get going on them - or not. I'm in a 'meh' period right now. I suppose it's a combination of the continuing never-ending winter, the fact that I have to work for the next eight out of nine days, and numerous other little things that all build up to a great big "I don't really give a darn about much of anything right now" attitude. It's an attitude that I have to get rid of, and quickly. I've learned over many years that either I recover my general positive attitude and 'go get it' attitude or I fall into a black depression. Depression for me is a very bad thing and I'll do almost anything to avoid it.

I have stories to write that are just sitting there, laughing at me. My BeMeM story is 60%+ complete and isn't due until the 12th, but I really need to wrap it up. My art piece is complete, but I submitted it incorrectly and need to try once more - it won't take a long time to do that, but for some reason I just can't motivate myself to do it. I just got my new drabble prompt yesterday and I'm drawing a blank, and I have a repair waiting for me here on my desk (I really need the extra money I get for repairs) and I'm just looking at it even though I told her I would probably have it done by Wednesday. Not even to mention my O-fic.

What to do? What to do? I'm just not feeling it...

What have I been doing with myself instead of writing and art and repair work? I've been reading. Most of what I've been reading has been OK, although I did drop one book out of my list after 100+ pages still couldn't get me involved enough in the characters and where the story was heading to want to plod along with the characters any longer. BUT...I DO HAVE ONE GREAT BOOK RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU! (Yes, the caps are necessary - the book is that good.)

The short list of books we've read that change our lives
is always expanding, but sometimes books drop off the
list also. The Fault in Our Stars has just been added to my list. 

Yesterday I read "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green, available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon and your local stores in hardcover, paperback and e-book. It will be released as a movie in June. After finishing the book (have some tissues ready, it's a weeper at the end) I just can't understand how they will adequately make a movie of it, but I'll probably have to see it just because the book was so excellent. I'll be reading this one again, and I think I'll hunt up other books by this author also.

There are so many great phrases in "The Fault in Our Stars". These are
just a few. 

Maybe one reason why I'm a bit in a 'meh' mood today isn't just the cold weather (which seems never-ending) or the fact that I feel like I'm running in place and getting nowhere. Rather it might be tied to the fact that I'm not writing up to my personal standard. I spend a lot of time wondering about whether my novels are worth more of my time or whether they should be shut up in a virtual desk drawer while I move on to other projects. It wouldn't be the first or last novel that's been shelved for a variety of reasons. But I'm just not feeling it - as much as I love my characters and their individual stories, they are swirling apart from each other at warp speed. It might be better to resurrect them in different times/formats and let "A Face in the Window" die a quiet death.

I'm seriously thinking about shelving my novel and working on
a different one that I started last year instead. 

In any case, read something wonderful today and enjoy your Tuesday. Hopefully yours will be warmer than mine will be (shivering as I face another cold day *sigh*).

Quarantined? Maybe We Should Be...

Today is my studio day and I'm hoping that I actually get it. But that may not be the case. DH is still sick and he works for me on Wednesdays. I may well get a phone call in the afternoon to come into the shop and work the rest of the day. That would mess up my laundry, working on my final pic for Binky, and my weekly phone call with Marlyn. All things that I was looking forward to (well, to be truthful, I usually don't look forward to laundry, just to the results of having clean towels and clothes). But, if I have to, I'll go in and try to work on my laptop instead of at home. I won't be happy though.

Even though DH is horribly sick with this cold/flu, he still managed to pull off an amazing Valentine's Day for me. When I arrived home there was a vase with a single red rose at my place on our eating table with three cards and a note propped up against the vase. Opening the refrigerator, he had purchased sushi and shrimp for our dinner and lemon cake for dessert later on that evening. It was really wonderful. I know I'll be up on the scale this morning - all that rice always makes me put on a pound or so. But that will be off in a couple of days and it was SO worth it.

Today he was up early (really messing up my morning schedule, but I'm trying to work through it) and gathered the trash together for me. I'll still have to check and make sure he got it all, but if so, he saved me a little bit of time. Why he's up this early? I guess his cough just wouldn't let him sleep, but instead of trying to get back to sleep, he's been roaming around, coming in to talk, then leaving again, etc. *sigh* I hope he gets better soon. Thanks to the many of you who sent positive wishes to him, I'm sure they are helping.

How many hours do I have?

Today is my "day off" and the list of things I have to accomplish today is longer than my height (relatively speaking). Oy! I have to call the accountant and get appointments set for the company and the personal income taxes to be prepped. I have to go to two different banks - one just for a deposit, the other to return and re-order checks that were printed incorrectly (sigh). I have to go to the art supply store (this one is at least a fun errand) and get the brush pens I promised to buy for my DH. I have to go grocery shopping, I have at least two loads of laundry to do, I also need to get a mail order into the mail.

On the creative side, I'm struggling with the drabble prompt for this week, so I need to continue my battle and end up with something that will work. I need to finish reading CB's OEAM Big Bang story and determine which part(s) I want to illustrate, and I want to begin work on that because I really miss having a pencil and tortillion in my hand. And I need to get the Photoshop CS5 working on DH's computer. If I can't get that working properly, I'll have to ask Seth to take care of it overnight. It's no problem to just leave the computer on for him to access.

Somewhere in between all of this, I'd like to phone my friend M in California again, just because it's so much fun to catch up with her and hear about what's going on in her life. I can color my other illustration at the same time, that would work out fine. And I have HOW MANY HOURS to accomplish all of this???? Yeah! Right! LOL. I'm laughing hysterically!

Sharpening My Colored Pencils

Actually, I'm sharpening my artistic skills because they are being pulled in to play now. I am still working on my LOTR Community Art Challenge (I'm WAY late with this, but knew I would be and was assured by the moderator that late was OK). I did get some work done on it yesterday, now I'm into the coloring and painting section - crossing my fingers because I can really ruin it now - LOL.

And I had volunteered to do artwork for an author for OEAM Big Bang. I got my author assignment over the weekend and started reading her text. Fortunately she is an f-list friend, so I don't think she'll be too disappointed with whatever I come up with, but I will have firm deadlines for this one so can't fall too far behind on them. I don't know yet how many illustrations I'll end up doing for this, I'll figure it out as I read.

DH and I had a somewhat relaxing Sunday. We shoveled some minor snow and scattered salt to help eliminate ice, then went to Target for foodstuffs, etc (because food is just one of those important things...) and after we had put the groceries away, we hopped on over to Dick Blick Art Supplies to see what we could find. I bought a ceramic tile for an enamel piece I want to play with, and a finger controlled craft knife because I have lost the first two I already had (sigh). DH got some new pens, and I bought Chickie a black sketch pad that she had been wanting. I was pleased. I'll be back there on Wednesday with a coupon to pick up some pens that DH had wanted. I told him I'd buy them for him with my coupon, but I had left the coupon at my computer station at work (silly me). Oh well.

Now...back to work, back to the grindstone, back to writing another drabble within the next day or so, and back to reading for illustrations. This could be a fun week...and it will end with Super Bowl (happy commercials and horrible, good tasting food). All is good - LOL.

Lists and Appointments

So, with lists in hand, I will be getting my packing completed for Bead & Button Show today.  Considering I'm leaving on Saturday morning, it's probably about time - LOL.  I want to bring my tool carryall for my workshops, but since I only got it last year, it hasn't travelled with me yet.  I'm not 100% sure it will fit on my pull-along rack.  For me to use it, it has to fit, so I'll be placing and measuring today to make sure.  I will also do laundry (as usual) and packing most of the items I'll need for the show.  Some more unusual things will be coming along with me including my traveling easel and art supplies since I need to get to work on illustrations for Big Bang.  I'll try to get some writing of my own done also while I'm away.  I'll be posting in my blog for many of the days, but my schedule will be more irregular for the week. 

Obviously these aren't human eyes, but aren't they a glorious

blue in this sweet, kitty face?  I just thought they would be

more fun to look at today :-)

My father-by-marriage returns to the eye doctor today to get his eye checked up.  This is the eye that he had surgery on a few months ago.  He wants to get the next eye scheduled, so now we are working with his doctor and within our vacation schedules to make sure that we can have someone available to drive him to the surgery and back, etc.  Since summer is when all of us take vacations, and since those are all out of town and already set, we have few open times.  I feel as if I am tapdancing in a mine field *sigh*.  Have an awesome day!

Extra Day - What a Gift!

My DH has been objecting about this day for more than two weeks.  For Christmas, he gave me a number of certificates for future things, one of which was an extra day off of my choice.  Today is that day.  I love having the opportunity to have two days off in a row, I can extend my list into two days and that's a blessing.  Yesterday was a wonderful day - I spent most of the day learning how to use my new Silhouette cutting machine.  I think that it has great possibilities and I ordered some self-stick vinyl from the company so that I can do some signage for the store.  I've been wanting to do this since Spring but I didn't want to pay the $100's of dollars that the signage companies quoted to do them.  I want one sign that says BEADS, one that says LEATHER and a sign with our hours for our front door.  Things will look much more professional, and I can then drop the paper signage that I have which will increase our light and allow our beautiful custom-made security bars to be visible again.  They have our Stormcloud logo in them and really are an ironwork piece of art. 

Blick's is my local art supply store - very close
to my home.  They get WAY too much of
my disposable income because I've never met
a sketchpad I didn't like :-)

Today's list, however, is long. I hope to spend today at the sewing machine.  It will be cold on Sunday, although the sun will be out.  I want to be able to wear my cloak, so I want to cut a new hood, remove the lining and finish the edges and inner seams.  Instead of having it be a lined cloak, it will be a single layer.  But it will be wearable and that's the most important thing.  I can always line another cloak.  I still have one load of laundry to do and I need to get to Dick Blick's art supply store.  I was there yesterday using a 30% off one item coupon for a watercolor sketchbook.  They are running a one-day sale today with a 40% off one item and 20% off anything in your basket sale.  These are the good sales and they come rarely.  I'm broke, but I can't turn my back on getting supplies for less money.  Also, I need to pick up a check at my brokerage.  It's pretty much the end of extra dollars that I will have available and it's going to dig me out of a hole right now, however, it won't go far.  That's a problem.  And I want to get to the fabric store and see if I can find fabric for a new pair of pants for DH.  He melted his last pair (don't ask) and needs a replacement pair.   I'm tired just reading my list!  I'm grateful that I got some sketching time in yesterday because I don't think I will have the time today at all. 

Time Crunch

I have one studio day left for the month of July, and I still haven't made my charms for the PMC Conference.  Next week is my last opportunity, so I have to shift my plans and I know I will also have to work a couple of evenings and maybe a Sunday.  Chickie is on vacation for the week of the 18th and I won't have a studio day that week, and I leave for Indiana on the Wednesday following.  It is frustrating because I know I won't be able to do what I had originally intended, but I'll change my design on the fly and do a different one.  I will need to make a PPP for it, so I'll get to use some of the skills that I was taught by Gwen in June at the Bead & Button Show. 

I'm late...already!

I had two other things on my schedule:  sending an item in (virtually) for a metals competition, and working out an application to teach at next year's Bead & Button Show.  All of this has to work within my conference and workshop schedule.  Crazy me :-)  Oh - and there are two movies that I want to catch - also on Wednesdays:  Despicable Me and Inception.  I feel like the White Rabbit - always late. 

Readying for Beta

Many of you know that my DH and I play Lord of the Rings Online as our computer game of choice.  We were invited to take part in a closed beta of their new intro portions and I'm busy downloading the software as I write.  It's not that difficult to download, and it will give me something to do tonight while watching Dangerous Catch, but it is annoying in that it will take up my morning on this screen name and I won't be able to work on my other screen names.  This means that the ridiculous will occur.  I will have both my DH's and my own computer busy downloading the beta software, and I will have to set up my laptop to be able to answer the product inquiries, etc that I need to answer because I can't switch screennames in my mail program while I'm downloading from one name.  How silly, but necessary. 

I got quite a lot done on my BFAC project yesterday morning and I hope I will also accomplish a fair amount this morning (although I may leave late to oversee this download for a bit longer).  I'm also expecting a large shipment at the shop today that will keep me busy.  Now the other part is having lots of customers to buy all of my neat, cool, things.  Think positive thoughts for me - I'm ordering like a tornado and just hoping that my gamble will pay off by the end of the year.  Crazy - don't ever let anyone in retail or who owns their own business tell you that they are sane - they are lying - LOLOL. 

Little Mountains

Small molehills in my art seem to become little mountains.  The focus of my art, many times, is keeping them small, rather than allowing them to grown into large peaks.  Yesterday was a day of learning.  As I had mentioned, I have never silk painted before, but I have a vision of what I want, and I have a center element that is quite detailed.  I had purchased applicator bottles with three different tips, the smallest of which was 0.5mm to apply the resist.  As it turns out - 0.5mm is quite thick when it comes to resist.  NOT good.  I had spent 45 minutes drawing my tree onto my silk, and it took less than 5 minutes with the applicator to realize that it was too broad a stroke.  I knew I had smaller needle-point tips at the shop; I use these for application of resins.  So in mid-day, I went to the shop and collected my needle-tips.  I had to rewash my silk, dry it and retrace my image so that it was darker and easier to follow.  I tested the smallest needle tip before I threw the silk into the wash and it is much thinner.  I may still need to apply some of this with a brush to be super accurate, but I think this will work. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to get to this step.  I had to settle down and do some work.  I promised a customer that I would scan the opaque 14o/15o hex beads that I had available for her to purchase.  There are 66 of them, and I got almost half of them scanned in yesterday.  I'll continue working on these over the next few days and then get them onto my shop's website (www.beadstorm.com) so that she can look over the colors with ease.  It really is an amazing amount of work to do this, but it will be nice to get some more product up on the store website.  All in all, it was a productive studio day, even though I didn't accomplish  what I needed to get done.  I'll just have to be more focused over the next few days. 

Weekend Wedding

So, my friend Michelle is getting married today. I've been invited to attend this evening, so I'll be leaving as quickly as possible after work and heading south to Hastings, a charming town on the Mississippi. I probably won't know many people attending, so it has the possibility of being semi-boring, but she's a good friend and I want to wish her and Scott the very best. I wrapped her gift yesterday and made her card - everything turned out very well. So I'm dressed in hand painted silk today so that I can leave from the shop. I want to be a little careful while pulling product today, but at least I'll look good - LOL.
I find myself with some slow times at the shop sometimes. Those are the times when we are busy packing product or putting new product out onto the shelving. Those are the times when I allow my mind to wander into projects that I have underway or projects that I want to add to my mental pipeline and start concept drawings for. I really wish I had the opportunity to bring these mental conceptions to paper faster - when I'm working on something at the shop, I can't drop everything to grab paper and pen. I have done that sometimes to get a very basic concept onto paper, but usually that's a time indulgence that I don't have. So I think, conceive, refine, and adjust...and when I do have the time, I start my concept drawings to get things into the project line. I really do wish I had the opportunity to work on my art more intensively. Making a living and feeding my family really takes away from my art . Enjoy your weekend, and make sure to put in your final bids for this week's Beading For A Cure auction items.

Gimme Back That Filet of Fish

It's Friday; Friday during Lent. And even though I am happily Pagan, my DH was raised Catholic and enjoys keeping the idea of Lent. Whatever - it doesn't bother me at all. I'm cool with fish on Fridays - I love fish. So that means McDonald's Filet of Fish sandwiches for dinner. OK, this is not gourmet eating. And it's not like their FoF isn't available during the year, but it is one of my favorite McDonald's items and one that I order year-round. It's odd to wake up at 3:30 am and look forward to something I'll be eating 16 hours later, but that's how it is. I need that goal to make it through the day. So I'll have my two FoF sandwiches and a salad for dinner tonight and enjoy every bite - LOL.

(BFAC Necklace by Cynthia McBroom)

I had ordered a glass grinder and it arrived at the shop yesterday. Glass Crafters was running an excellent sale of 20% off everything that was in-stock, so I was able to get the grinder and a foot pedal for it at an excellent price. Since my DH will pay $100 towards this as one of my Holiday Gifts, I ended up paying $40 out-of-pocket. How sweet it is. And it will get used fairly quickly. I have a need for some shaped dichroic for a project of mine. Now if I could just get into the groove for my beading project for the 2011 Beading For A Cure. Although I have made up my mind about what I want to do, the time needs to be cut down and I need to hit my groove for beading. Of course, it probably doesn't help that I am trying to read on-screen at the same time as bead and watch TV. Nothing like multi-tasking!

(BFAC beaded doll by Penny Smith)

And take a look at these two items up for auction in this week's Beading For A Cure auctions. One or both of them could be yours if you bid high. Remember, the monies raised from BFAC go towards helping to erradicate colorectal cancer - a VERY worthwhile cause.

Balancing Act

Every woman knows the difficulty in balancing the many tasks and roles she must perform on a daily basis. Men know this also, but they don't multi-task as much as simply shift from one lane to another on the freeway of daily life. But women DO multitask. So, between being a good wife, an amazing Mom, the reliable worker and the chief cook and bottlewasher, you also need to exercise your creative muse. When are you supposed to be able to do that!?

There is a reason why I get up at 3:30 am. The primary reason is because I can get work done and some creative activities done before I need to leave the house at either 6am or 7am (depending on my schedule for the day). That creativity can continue when I get to the shop for another hour, sometimes two. So I can at least get some concept drawings done, work at the bench, or simply redecorate my habitat for my pet on Facebook. Even something that silly is still creative and still has my own stamp on it - a vision that is not shared by others but is mine, uniquely.

And after all, isn't that what we are all striving for? Unique creativity? The media in which you work is your own choice. Over my life I have worked in beads, embroidery, fabric, beads, leather, fabric, beads, metal, beads, more metal and now, enamel and more fabric. Throughout all of these varied media, my vision - my voice has become stronger. And now that I've lived a creative live for more than 50 years, I feel confident enough in my own vision that I do what I want artistically with a sidelong glance towards possibly selling some items in the future. My goal, however, is to satisfy my design muse and scratch my creative itch, and I am sure many others share that goal. So continue to multitask to pay the bills, but allow your own creativity to shine forth and proclaim your vision to the world. It will enrich the world's music with your own harmony woven within.

White Rabbits

In "Alice in Wonderland" the character of the White Rabbit is constantly checking his pocket watch and running off saying that he's late. How well I understand him. How I can possibly be late when I'm up at 3:30 am is a mystery to me. But I have come to the conclusion that I will have to switch some tasks around because things are falling behind. Today I didn't even get to my blog until almost noon - good thing Wednesday is my day off or my blog would have been inactive until after I returned from work and had dinner. But I think I will have to split some tasks up between my morning and my evening to be able to get things done in a timely fashion and get the "back burner" items back to the front of the stove.

My Emails and chat groups generally take me three hours to run through. But, today I have five "new chapter alerts" from authors that I follow (always a very positive thing that I really look forward to - but a time eater). I also had a couple of intensive Emails - things that I couldn't just read and then go on to the next, but things that I actually had to put thought into a reply for. It's good for me, and I love communicating with my friends, etc., but a comprehensive answer can put me back 20-30 minutes. So...by the time 7am came around, the time when I should be wrapping things up and leaving for work, I still hadn't plugged into my main business Emails or any of my secondary chat boards. I have to get my time under control before I leave for Milwaukee at the end of the month. I'll be laptop dependent then and will have at least two class days from hell with no time at all, so I know I'll miss some things then. I must be caught up before I leave so that I won't have a full month or more to catch up on.

On the plus side, however, I did treat myself to a new, smaller, more powerful digital camera for my upcoming birthday gift to myself. I had a budget of less than $200 and found a Samsung with a great macro (very important) that came in at the price. I wanted it in red, but they would have had to order that. So I got black. I can live with that :-)