Taking a Break - Still

Just wanted to let you all know I'm still here, but the Etsy shop is still closed. I'm catching up with everything here at home (organizing, cleaning, painting!), enjoying the last hurrah of summer before school starts (kayaking!, hiking, exploring), cleaning and organizing the studio (and all my new glass), gathering up my inspirations... and will get back to it all very soon. My plan is to reopen the store with lots of new beads and some pendants too... maybe even a few bracelets. So stay tuned... I'll be back in a bit. Hope you enjoy these last days of summer too :)

Alzheimer Art

I'm spending the week with my grandma so that my mother can go on a much needed vacation. So far, things have not been all that difficult or unpleasant, and I'm very thankful for that.

I'm fascinated too, by the what my grandmother is creating these days. I've shared some of her art on this blog before, she's a fine artist and a fiber artist... she's got an amazing work of art, much of which is hanging in my home. She can't remember how to cook, needs reminders to eat, forgets she's got a great-grandson named Luke, and all that other stuff... but she's got her creative process down cold, even if her art is not what it used to be. These days she is working much smaller than she used to, on plastic backing instead of cloth. Things are very modern, abstract, sometimes very chaotic, sometimes simple and soothing. She uses a LOT of red and yellow and purple - red seems to be a color that attracts her more than anything. I have a feeling these are little glimpses into her mind, what remains of it, anyway.

This is Grandma. Sitting and sewing her work, and, standing, drawing a design for her newest one:





Here are just some of the works she has completed since last October when she moved into my mom's home.























(PS. I'm still working toward my 500 Beads for Alzheimer's goal - I've sold 147 so far this year, once I reach 500, I'll be cutting a check for $500 and mailing it off to an Alzheimer's Association. A big, BIG 'thank you' to everyone who has purchased one of my beads!)

New Beads on Etsy

Three new beads listed tonight, and one that isn't. My favorite one was ruined when I tried to add an eyeball to it. Oh well! I love the one side, so I'll just keep it for me.

Two Colors

All but one of today's beads were made using just two colors each. I love how they turned out! I'll be listing them on Etsy later on this weekend.

Heat Wave Beads on Etsy Now

It's HOT. H.O.T. Record breaking temps for Seattle and the area. 103+ today. That's outside, I think it's even hotter inside. BUT, it's not that bad if you don't have to DO anything. Mostly we've been spending the days in the pool, eating popsicles, sitting with the fans blowing on us... that kind of thing. But today, I decided I would try to melt some glass before it got TOO hot... I managed to make these before noon, and I call them Heat Waves... thanks for looking!

A River Full of Garnets

We went garnet hunting near Lake Wenatchee, yesterday. It involved waking up at 5 AM, driving a few hours east, meeting up with our new rock and gem club, hiking through old growth forests, braving the vicious swarms of man-eating bugs, sticking our feet in an ice cold creek... but still it was worth it. Imagine a a river sparkling with mica-speckled rocks and glitting with little red gems... and that is where we were. Scoop up a handful (or shovelfull) of river sand and pepples and pick the red sparkles out. An amazing day.

Two New Beads on Etsy

Two new beads listed on Etsy:





And a yummy custom order set - I need some of these for myself!



Thanks for looking :-)

My Rock Cutter

This is Luke, cutting a piece of jasper slab. Isn't he amazing? The kid will try anything. Of course, his mother? Not so much. She's afraid of power tools. She can play with fire, but saws and drills and such give her the hebejebees. Glad to see he didn't inherit that fear.



So yeah, the family joined a rock and gem club last night - Frank and Luke are really into it, I'm just along for the ride. Though, if they learn how to turn these rocks into pretty beads and pendants... perhaps I'll show a little more enthusiasm. It's hard work, this rockhound stuff, and dirty... digging in rivers, climbing mountains and digging a cave under an overturned old tree root, camping with bugs... you get the idea. Give me a bead show and a hand basket to put my selections in and I'll be the happy camper. We'll see, there is a garnet dig coming up soon, maybe I'll join them for that. And thunder eggs. Whatever they are, they sound cool!

Eyes on Etsy

Eye beads, that is! Freshly listed - thanks for looking!

Looking at you, kid.

Luke graduated from vision therapy last week and I thought it would be pretty cool to make "eye beads" as thank you gifts for his therapists... I've been working on them all weekend and finally have something *I* like. What do you think?

Yesterday's New Beads

Doesn't this bead look like leather? And doesn't it look like it's looking at you? Or through you? It's a strange one, but I really like it anyway.



And this one... looks like the cosmos...



Both on Etsy - thanks for looking!

Etsy Store Restocked!

Here are some new beads - finally! All on Etsy... thanks for looking!