COOL bead giveaway!

Click the link below for a fun bead giveaway.  Earthenwood beads are some of my favorites to work with - I'm hoping I win!

http://laurelmoon.blogspot.com/2011/08/earthenwood-giveaway.html


I'll be posting again tomorrow and hope to have photos of my date with my great niece Madison.  She and I are going to make bracelets and play with beads.  She's EIGHT.  Wish me luck!
Don't forget to head to the Laurel Moon site for your chance to win some Earthwood delights!
TTFN

Another Market, another dollar

Which is to say that's about ALL I made on the market today.  In fact, since I BOUGHT a nice little zippered bag for my tools from the booth next door - I'm probably $5.00 in the hole.  You just never know with these shows from one time to the next who, what and WHY they'll buy. LAST month's market brought in almost $250 in the first hour of the show.  Crazy.  Still got one more OFFICIAL show to do in September, but dang it, I am NOT ready to throw in the towel.  My husband is just adamant that doing any more shows is, in his words "a waste of time - you make no money".  But I won't make any money if I just STOP doing shows altogether either.  I had talked myself out of Haslett, as well as the outdoor day next month at Meridian, but if I can get someone to share their tent space with me - I just may do it to spite him.
I'm trying to have a better outlook about not making any money at shows, which doesn't really help me pay the bills - but I SO love what I do, and I enjoy talking to people about it, even if they don't ultimately end up buying.  I'm not sure I can keep the positive outlook going, but can a complete wash out of a show happen every single time?    I am almost curious enough to try and find out!  I got a lot of compliments on my table display today - and even the bees thought my flowers were real! 

 So here's to a successful show NEXT month!  I may even be able to do TWO!  Take THAT, hubby dear. 
Enjoy whatever life brings you....
Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Peacocks to be proud of

SOOOOO happy with how these turned out.  I was glad to have the 'power' beading session tonight - hubby's gone fishin', and it's blissfully beadily quiet - or as quiet as it can be with my country station CRANKED!  It seemed to give me the energy boost I needed to get these finished for tomorrow's art market.   I DO plan to create another piece or two - but will need more of the PERFECT shade of 'peacock' feather- navy lined amber size 15's from Artbeads.  And they just happen to be O-U-T.  Hopefully they'll have more soon!  I'm also thinking a pair of earrings are needed to match the white peacock piece from a few weeks ago.  PLUS I have two other peacock related projects drawn, with thoughts noted. Lately when something comes into my head,  I've been at least jotting notes.  My memory just ain't what it used to be, but somehow my creative ideas are still JUICY!  Loving that I have a counter on my site now - I have more people reading than I thought - YAY!  Stop and say hey once in awhile!  And leave me YOUR blog address - if I'm not already reading it (trust me, I've got a list of favorites that is 51 blogs long, and I try to hit them all at least once every couple days) I'll check it out!
 
Peaceful beading,
TTFN

The price of (not so) fine dining

Is there a Boston Market in your area?  If you haven't been in awhile - you're in for sticker shock.  Wow.  We could have eaten at Applebee's and spent about the same, and had better ambiance.  Sure, they bring you your meal on actual dinner ware now, and let you leave the plates for them to clean up - but did they have to raise the prices so dang high just to do it?  I honestly didn't mind the throw away containers, or cleaning up after myself.  I suppose that real dinner ware is GREENER, and for that I give them kudos, but almost 8 bucks for cold chicken that I have to cut apart, and sides that are getting blander and blander with every visit.  Not to mention the puny little corn bread - it's like 1/2 the size it used to be!  This was definitely a 5 visit on a scale of 1 to 10.  Not sure we'll go back very soon - so many other places are more fun for the same price!
Think I'm going to copy and paste that little rant review and hit their website.  I'm in a mood - and someone's gonna hear about it!

Read or bead?

That's been the question lately.  I find myself soaking in the written word much this week - nothing significant, nothing deep, just good, well written mysteries.  I'm on the third book since Sunday - so I'm averaging one book about every day and a half.  I do that sometimes.  The best of the lot was actually a TRUE story of intrigue, and very interesting - called "Winged Obsession" - about the FBI and Fish and Wildlife departments' pursuit AND capture of the worlds most famous BUTTERFLY smuggler.  Who knew that there was such a huge market for this?  And who knew how horrifying the destruction of the butterfly species really is.  And how they go about getting those beautiful winged bugs into those boxes that so many collectors covet.  It was a very good read.  I also threw in one of James Patterson's newest, am almost finished with a Nook novel, and then Ill move on to the actual book version of the newest Lisa Jackson.  And somehow - amidst all the mystery and suspense, I have found a little time to bead.  I've got a couple of new earring designs to perfect, and am working on some peacock designs - since they're sooooo hot right now!  Looking forward to having my DAY to myself tomorrow, as hubby's hours have been switched for a few days again.
Back to my suspense and a spoonful of chocolate fudge sauce from the jar in the fridge.  It's the day before groceries - and we're getting a little lean on the essentials - like CHOCOLATE!
Peaceful beading - and reading,
TTFN 

Gallery Inventory

Here are the pieces that I just took today.  And I brought home printed brochures with MY name in them!  So it's official!  How exciting to be teaching a class at The Lansing Art Gallery this winter.  There are also several pieces still there that have been displayed for awhile - like the Vinery line, with it's grape clusters and vintage lucite leaves, my favorite 'face' piece - Island Dreamer, as well as the statement making Petoskey Pride.  Lots of big events coming up too - a new exhibit will be arriving with the kick off open house being Friday, September 9th.  I'll be working the gallery that evening - it would be great to have a few familiar faces in the crowd.  There are always refreshments, and this time there's even a jazz band!  FUN!

Looking forward to a fun time - but boy, did THAT turn into another busy week - my only free day from Labor Day to Sunday will be Thursday, the 8th.  I may have to turn off, tune out and veg for a day.  WHEW!
Off to bead....
TTFN

Ready, Set - Babble!

I've been noticing other bloggers post changes a lot lately.  As in - not so much about the bead, but just about STUFF.  And I'd been trying hard not to do that - only babbling a little about non bead stuff, instead of a lot.  But then I found myself keeping a second place to write - a virtual journal, for stuff that I needed to vent about, shout about, babble about and just plain talk about that I didn't think anyone would necessarily be interested in.  But jeez.  I'm seeing a huge amount of my usual beady bloggers doing just that.  So I'll probably start babbling more - instead of less. Lucky you!  I could probably write more today - about things that have been happening, and what I'm hoping for in the next week or so, but I'm waiting for the imminent arrival of my mom, so that we can have lunch, and visit The Lansing Art Gallery today.  She's late.  Not like her.  I'm sure something came up - an important phone call, or the 'porch guy' finally showed up.  Don't you hate that?  You hire someone that has been recommended as a good worker, and they seem to just work on their own schedule - any one elses' plans be damned.  Sometimes I think it's worth paying more just for better FASTER service. 
So there.  I DID manage to babble about nothing today!  And mom's still not here!
Hope to do some beading later - kind of at one of those points where I've got lots of project ideas, with dribs and drabs of things pulled together that will PART of a project, but haven't got a plan in mind for any of them.  I did play around with a possible new RAW earring embellishment yesterday, but will want to play with it a little more (and write it down!) before I decide to share it.  YAY!  SHE"S HERE!
Peaceful beading,
TTFN