Tribute to Sally

I awoke to some sad news this morning - upon scanning the names in the obituaries, I was saddened and surprised to see the name of a long time friend and customer - Sally Holliday.  Smilin' Sally.  Dog loving Sally.  Spiritual, metaphysical like minded Sally. I hadn't seen her since summer, and now I regret that I hadn't stopped in to one of her book filled haunts lately.   I don't know the details, so I hope to be home from my excursion in time today to make a few phone calls.  So this is my little 'remembrance' of her - sorry folks - it will just make me feel better....
Sally LOVED books.  She was the manager of "The Book Burrow" - a small little part of our Capital Area Library where gently used and well loved books were sold and traded.  She was very well read, and was so interesting to talk to.  You could almost always find her with a book or reading material in her hand. And her spiritual knowledge was tremendous - we always knew we could call Sally if we needed answers, especially regarding aromatherapy.   Sally also LOVED animals, and was an animal rescue advocate.  When you visited Triple Goddess - the metaphysical bookstore where Sally also worked - you could also expect to see one of Sally's well trained dogs hanging out.  And her SMILE!....so bright, so big and genuine. 
How will I ever be able to enter 3G again without that smiling face to greet me, or even attend one of our favorite events - Blues on the Square, without seeing her with her head bobbin' and smiling and loving every minute.  I'm not sure why she chose to cross over at this point in time - and hope to get the details later on today.  I'll miss having her come and visit my new bead shop space at Coyote - I especially thought of her when putting together my Open House invites, knowing how excited she'd be about my new venue.  I'll miss her enthusiasm and encouragement.
So sad to lose a friend.  But I'm sure she's very happy -  in a wonderful place full of books, blues, dogs, and light....and it brings me just a little bit of peace.
I'll miss you, Sal!

Bead Table Wednesday - with a name

Here is the pendant piece from this  morning - almost complete.  "In Need of Calmer Seas" (see the little row boat?) ended up being more seaswept than Native American - where I THOUGHT it was going at first.  I still have to add in the Amazonite chips, and add the bail, the silk cord, and the ceramic and handmade peyote tubes to go with it, so it will be a full fledged piece.  If it's done in time and I feel it's worthy - it will go to the Art Gallery.  If not - who knows?  Not adding new items on Etsy anymore, so I'll have to try and find another outlet.  (My own website you say?  haha.  Funny).

Great day for beading here in Michigan - rainy, gray, cold and blah outside.  Bright, light and BEADY inside!
TTFN

Bead Table Wednesday....and stuff

I'm not sure when or how it happened - but in the last week or so, I've become addicted to cabochons.  All of a sudden everything I want to create, the idea starts with a bead embroidered cab.  So here is one of the first - there are others in progress, but this is the best - this is Prehnite, with iris metallic, teal metallic, and off white beads worked in.  I just added the squares around the edge - and will now add what I THINK will be the final round of prehnite rondelles and seed beads.  Thinking this one may be a pin, or I may just add a simple peyote bail and sell it as a pendant alone.  I had pretty good luck with those in the past - brings the cost down a little, because you're not adding the extra necklace portion, and allows the wearer to 'mix it up' by using whatever chain, ribbon or thing they want to wear it on.  AND, I already have about 5 more (6 counting the poor neglected fairy head) cabs awaiting my attention.  HOWEVER - those may all be put aside after tomorrow.  Tomorrow is field trip day!  A trip to one of the best beads stores anywhere, EVER - Bead Haven in Frankenmuth, Michigan.  Heading there for the day (about 1 1/2 hours away) with 6 other bead-iful ladies, for a day of fun, food and of course, beads. So I know I'll be picking up HUGE lots more beads, and getting loads of new ideas in the process.   And Frankenmuth is a fun place for a bead store, because it's a tourist town, with other places and boutiques and shops to visit as well.  I doubt we'll even TRY to hit Bronner's - which is what Frankenmuth is known for.  The Christmas store - acres and acres of Christmas ornaments, gift items, toys, and wonderful holiday spirit - year round.  But it takes HOURS just walk through, and all my bead money would be gone, cuz even though I don't need Christmas ornaments any more than I need beads - I STILL BUY THEM!  So I think we've all agreed to skip Bronners, head straight for the HAVEN, and then downtown for food and other shopping.  I sure hope the weather's better than today, though...it's ugly out there today.
Bead happy, everyone!  Off to the bead table I go...
TTFN

And to make matters worse....

Have you ever been asked to make a MAJOR change to a piece of jewelry that you made to sell?  I'm pretty sure many people have - so what do you do?  Are you so unattached from your work that you simply make the change and accept the thanks and money, OR - are you like me - sensitive and OFFENDED when people want to make a change so drastic that it takes away all the character and LIFE from the piece.  I got a call today from a customer that wants the above piece changed - shortened -sure, I can do that, no problem.  AND THE BUDDHA REMOVED!   GACK!  I'm sorry - I may have been a bit short with her when I replied "But it's the NAME of the piece (Joyful Buddha) and the INSPIRATION for the entire thing!"  She SAYS she is going to come by Coyote tomorrow to talk about it, and as another beader has pointed out - it will be better for ME to remove the Buddha, because then I can create something else with it, but still.   Other than asking to have things resized - I can deal with that - anything else is just an insult!  If you want something plain and more normal - GO TO WALMART! 
This entire piece was designed, coordinated and MADE around that Buddha face.  I can't even GET the etched bar pieces anywhere anymore, and finding another toggle like that may be pretty much impossible, so making another one is well, - also impossible.  Besides - I RARELY copy and duplicate my pieces.  I do one of a kind, unique, ART work. 
This, on top of the sadness from this morning, as well as an equally sad family matter that also occurred today, has left me tearful, and ready to just go to bed and pull the covers up over my head.
Here's hoping that tomorrow is a much better, and brighter, day....
TTFN

Sadness

Today I'm just...sad.  I love blogging.  And Facebook.  And commenting and having a voice.  And I get 'freedom of speech' and all that - but again - because I know I've posted this before - if you don't have anything nice to say - shut your stupid mouth!  To berate, belittle and HATE on someone for voicing their view about a blog is just.....SAD.   I'm not going to call YOU names (but oh, how I want to), or berate YOU for your rant at me (minus the 'stupid mouth' comment).  But unfortunately, what I am going to do is probably stop commenting, and ultimately, blogging altogether, which means once again losing my voice.  Because I just don't have time for the hate.  I am a positive, life loving person. I'm a lover, not a fighter.  All I can do is hope that the sad, sad person that doesn't even KNOW me,  that felt they needed to spew venom at me in print, finds some love someday.  I send them light.....
My own blog will continue - whether anyone reads it or not.  It seems to be the only place I can voice my opinion safely.    So my task of the day - and I ask that it be yours as well...
Please don't hate.  Do something kind for just one person.  It will make both of you feel better, and be just a teeny tiny start in stopping the hatred that has become such a sad part of our world....
So out into the world I go....I wish happiness for all I meet today.
TTFN

Psychic Connections AKA a trip to the bead store!

I love bead stores.  Big bead stores, small bead stores.  Stores with beads.  Period.  Even when I had my own large store space at the antique mall, I wasn't above going on a bead store jaunt, visiting not just the other LBS's (at one point there were NINE of us), but going on road trips as well.   So - yesterday I chose to make a run to one of them - about 45 minutes away from home.  As I'm driving there, I found myself thinking of not only what I need to get when I got there, but about the WWB (Women Who Bead) girls, too.  WWB is made up of many different levels of beaders - many of them not wanting to be into, or being intimidated by, seed beads.  I was disappointed when I originally joined them that many of them didn't seem to be interested in quite the same type of beading, or interested in having me teach or SHOW them.  They were happily stuck in their little ruts, but I was bored by the lack of creative mind beading -  so I bowed out for awhile.  I've just in the last few weeks been in touch with a few of them again, and have discovered a few changes - people leaving, people joining, and a few previously uninterested beaders NOW interested in seed beads.  SOOOOO - imagine my surprise when I find a few of the WWB's at the very same LBS that I chose to visit yesterday!  And for the newest of them - it was her very first visit to a bead store.  WHAHOO!   It was supposed to be a quick trip (my space at Coyote was calling my name), but I needed to catch up on their latest projects, and what they were buying and what Robin (the newbie) was into, and well - an hour later (sigh), we're just starting to pick out what we came there for!  But all was good - I got what I needed, I left them happily browsing, and I've been invited to attend their next little bead store jaunt - to my very favorite bead shop in the whole world - Bead Haven in Frankenmuth!  We're going on Thursday (sorry, prosperity group girls), and I am really looking foward to some bead talk and comaraderie.    The WWB girls have officially added me to their email list again, so now I'll be in on ALL their little adventure plans, and meeting dates.  I think I am excited about it again.  Maybe I can even convince them to change the group name to WWSB - Women Who SEED Bead!  hahaha...
Happy SEED BEADING everyone -
TTFN

Classy

As I've hopped around all the blogs in the last few days, the one thing that has stood out for me - even on Kate's, who's in Paris - is the talk about CLASSES!  It seems as though there are more classes being offered, taken, taught, created and FILLED than ever before!  And many of them are - YAY YAY YAY - SEED BEAD project classes!  This makes my heart very happy, since some of you may recall a recent post of mine that wondered on the fall of the seed bead.  I am delighted that they immediately seemed to pick themselves up and brush themselves off and take another swing at the beading public.  I know I had a wonderful surprise with my new beaders at Coyote - after just ONE simple stringing class - some of them are clamoring for 'more detailed' stuff - the stuff like "I do".  The seed bead stuff.  Which I love to teach even more than simple stringing (boring but necessary).  And it's strange, because in the FOUR years of having my shop inside the antique mall - I think I taught TWO seed bead classes (heck, I think I taught TWO classes, PERIOD).  And then there were probably only 1 or two people in each one.  So I am ELATED that there is already interest in my wonderful passion for those little bits of glass at the new place.  And they'll be getting what they ask for -  I'll be starting them out with Peyote beaded beads probably in June....
And speaking of seed beads - as much as I enjoy making my "chunky charm" bracelets - that was the one component that seemed to be missing from them.  So on Friday - I came up with THIS....

Instead of chain with charms - I did a section of seed bead fringes.  Turned out pretty cool if I do say so myself....
TTFN and Bead Happy!