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I Followed My Bliss Now What?

Handmade Glass Bead of the Week June 18th 2010

Lampwork Glass Handmade Focal Bead Elegant Bubbles

This pretty handmade lampwork glass focal bead is made with a twistie of black and white in the center, a layer of clear, brass frit and another layer of clear. Lots depth and LOTS of bubbles. The bubbles have a pretty golden shimmer to them from the brass.

Cat Napping

This is Dragon. He is one of my rescue cats. I got him from our local pound about 6 years ago. He was a wee little one, probably only about 4 weeks old (I know, I have probably already mentioned this but really, rescue animals make GREAT pets). This is his favorite spot to nap on the front porch. Preferably belly up. As you can see he told me off for waking him up
with my camera, then waited patiently for me to let him back into the house.

Memorial Day Weekend Sunday Part 2

We had decided to check out a Wildlife Safari up in Sandusky so one of our first stops was at Kalahari. Kalahari is a stunningly beautiful hotel to stay in and HUGE. Its really geared toward families with kids though, lots of kiddie stuff to do. We aren't going to discuss the safari/petting zoo they have, other than to say that anyone with small children will love it lol. Lots and lots of water things for the kiddies to do also, as well several fully stocked bars poolside for the grown ups. They were roasting a pig when we strolled through that smelled divine too. Alas, it wasn't the safari we were looking for so we kind of checked everything out, sat and people watched for about an hour and then moved onward in our search for a Safari experience.

Jewelry Piece of the Week June 12th 2010

Blue Midnight Handmade Lampwork Pendant
Pretty black bead made in my home studio. Made with a base of black, a layer of clear, a layer of blue frit, and another layer of clear. Then I added square gold colored spacers and light blue swarovski crystals. Simple, elegant and fun, this can be worn with a t shirt and blue jeans or a simple, elegant dress.

Fire Divas Contest!

Go to the Fire Diva's blog and vote for your favorite glass bead entry for the June contest! While your there check out some of the awesome work done by the members of this fabulous group!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! Woo hoo! Actually, its not nearly as exciting as it used to be lol. The bad news is, I am in my 40's (44 as of today). The good news is that I feel better than I ever did in my thirties! I have changed the way I eat and exercise (meaning I eat less and exercise more lol), I have been a non smoker now for 6yrs, 1 month and 18 days (which means I can breathe) and am overall much more content with myself and my life. Hmmm wonder what my presents will be this year?

Memorial Day Weekend Sunday Part 1

I told my hubby on Memorial Day weekend I wanted to spend Sunday just with him. We also take other people with us when we go somewhere for the day, whether its one of the kids (who are 16 and 20 and really don't want to do things with their parents if they can help it lol), or my mother in law. I don't usually mind, but I really wanted to spend the day with JUST my husband. We decided to drive up to Sandusky and check out some things to do at Lake Erie, and just relax. It about an hour and a half drive (if i'm driving lol or two if my husband is driving). I drove. We stopped about half way their at this rest area because, well, the same reason we all stop at a rest area lol. We were pleasantly surprised to find a trail to a small scenic overlook. The drop from this overlook was far enough down to make me a wee bit nauseous. In the last picture, the tree is actually vertical. But who knew, we have been past this rest stop on many an occasion and never dreamed it had scenery like this.

Ridiculous Lol

So as those of you who know who follow, I was without a car for about 20 days. I had to take a couple of pictures of the rental car they gave me. I was pretty amused. You have to understand, I am pretty low key, cars are not something that I really care about except for the fact that I want them to get me from point A to point B, with a minimum amount of repairs and somewhat decent gas mileage. (although, in all honesty, if someone gave me a Mustang, I probably wouldn't turn it down, but its really not on my have to have list of items). So, I get to the body shop and they hand me the keys to a Chrysler 300M. I was laughing pretty hard because really, what am I supposed to do with this? You should know that while the neighborhood I live in is pretty tame and quiet most of the time, I do live in what could be considered the edges of the hood. I parked it on the street when I came home (waiting for my hubby to come home since I leave first so I park in the driveway last). My 20 year old son comes into the house and says to me " Who's the drug dealer parked on the street?". Want to take a guess which car he was referring too?

Lazy Dog

This is one of our Australian Shepherds, Libby. She is not terribly typical of her breed like our other two are. Libby's a wee bit lazy and an extremely mellow dog. (Most Aussies might be considered a bit on the hyper side with a good dose of energy thrown in lol). As you can see, Libby generally does not eat her food standing up, she lays down and eats instead. And in this particular picture, she wasn't really eating, she was more napping with her head in the bowl lol!

Jewelry Item of the Week June 5th 2010

Featured this week in my Artfire shop is gorgeous sterling silver wire wrapped bracelet made with lampwork beads that are made in my home studio. Deep midnight blue beads with faint swirls of white and pale blue frit. Each link was carefully hand wrapped with sterling silver wire and the hook for the clasp is handmade and designed for easy use. Please visit my shop on Artfire for more details! Also be sure to check out the 20% off section.

Glass Bead Item of the Week

Today I am featuring an elegant set of beads in shades of gray with 99.9% fine silver wire. These are very simple yet sophisticated and could easily be used for a pair of earrings and a bracelet or as a lovely, statement necklace.

Pale gray oval focal bead with lighter gray shading to a darker gray in the center. Both the focal and the spacer beads are wrapped in fine silver wire. Elegant and sexy! Set of five.

24mm focal
9mm-10mm spacers

Beware Rant Ahead!

I have to say I am sincerely pissed off. I am pretty hard to piss off (although I would bet my husband might disagree lol). So, I work for a car insurance company. For the most part I like my job, I have a great boss and I like my co worker too. Everyone pretty much gets along and its all good. I have always felt that our company did a good job on handling claims and were fair and equitable. My daughter had a car accident on the 14th of May. She was at an intersection with a 2 way stop. She had the stop sign. Both her and her girlfriend looked (because she is a new driver and both of them are very cautious) before proceeding through the intersection. She got halfway through it when the other person hit her. Now, my daughter got the ticket as there were no witnesses. However, the person who hit her was driving with a suspended license (and yes, she got a ticket too). My body shop guy told me (although he wouldn't verify with my company) that she had to have been doing 35 to 40 miles per hour when she hit my daughter. So how do you get up to 35 miles and hour when you have a stop sign a block away? Why are you driving a car to begin with? And she never even hit the brakes, the only skid marks are my daughters. Can you do $4000 worth of damage to a car and total your own doing 25 mph? So any way my insurance company is going to be paying for her damages as well as mine. And my daughter will be penalized for something that wasn't her fault. And the person who broke the law will be rewarded. I am so disappointed in my insurance company. If you are wondering why your insurance rates are so high, this is one of the reasons.

Beaded Necklace

So I have taught myself how to bead crochet (can I tell you what a pain it is to start the darn thing with those teensy tiny seed beads lol) and was fooling around with different ways to use the resulting efforts. I settled on this design, incorporating metal work, wire wrapping and one of my handmade lampwork beads. I designed the clasp to be the focal piece in the front so its easy to use but still makes a statement. This is available in my Artfire shop.

Bead of the Week May 26th 2010

Handmade Lampwork Artisan Glass Organic Focal Bead Twin Rivers

I love organic beads. This one has a base of sky blue with a darker transparent blue and silvered ivory running through it.

Jewelry Item of the Week

I love these earrings. The transparent red and clear glass flowed in a way that reminded me of the flame used to create them. And while I am a silver girl most of the time, these just said gold. The lampwork beads are made by me in my home studio. These are currently on sale in the 20% off section in my studio on Artfire.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Well my garden is finally growing lol. Bit of a late start here this year, lots of rain, kind of cool. I finally got my topsy turvy tomato going (I have been dying to try this since its something my dogs can't trample lol). I also put the seeds in the seedling flats, the wildflowers are coming up already, the veggies, not yet. My daughter and son bought me roses for Mothers Day this year and I got those planted. Here are some pictures of the the roses and also of my irises which are doing very well this year. I am really hoping that the peppers, green beans and watermelon do well. I planted basil also and would like to add a couple more herbs to the collection. I would have liked to put in some cat nip for my cats but unfortunately there are a LOT of cats in our neighborhood and I have no desire to entice them all into my front yard lol.

New Beads

Well, my life is at its typically insane pace +10 the next couple of weeks lol. Lots of family stuff going on and I have to work extra since there are lots of vacations going on in the office. Schools out in a couple of weeks (thank goodness!), my daughter has her dance recital two days after school is out so we have lots of rehearsals (which would be no big deal but the car is in the shop until June 4th, due to an accident s0 she can't drive herself, rental car companies frown on 16 year olds driving their vehicles) and we have a holiday weekend in there. Just totally crazy all the way around. I have lots of new beads to list but haven't had time to take the pictures. Some new jewelry designs also, which incorporate beading, metal etching and lampwork. But you will have to wait just a bit to see those til I have time for pictures lol.

Any way, here are a couple of beads that I just recently listed. Simply click on the picture.

Also don't forget about the new sale section in my jewelry shop! 20% off or more on selected pieces. The discount has already been applied.

Added A Section to My Jewelry Shop

I have added a sale section to my jewelry shop on Artfire. Everything in this section is 20% off and the discount has already been applied. Easy peasy lol. I need to clear out some of my inventory, I am moving in a somewhat different direction with my work. The more I make jewelry the more I feel that I am moving toward a style that is more mine than previously. Being able to use my own lampwork beads, cabochons and metal work makes my new work very much more *mine*. And of course my skills are expanding and my work is getting better. I am going to be phasing out the plated items and moving more toward the sterling silver and gold plated. However I will still be doing pieces in copper as I am very drawn to the warmth of it and the wonderful patinas that can be achieved with fire and LOS. I also may keep using the brass as it does have a lovely color on its own and turns a wonderful pinky gold in the fire. My work is beginning to develop some depth and be a bit more complicated in the making. Any way, if you are looking for a good price on some nice jewelry come visit my sale section. I will be adding items to the sale section over the next several weeks.
Keep an eye out on my shop for new pieces also!

Update on Weight Loss

As promised I am updating my progress (more to keep me motivated than anything but I appreciate your coming along on this journey with me) on my success with this food plan. I have to say, I am having trouble some days eating often enough! And I am sooo not hungry which is great.
To give you an idea of a normal lunch (keep in mind, this is NOT purchased food but home cooked by me) I am having a piece of sweet italian turkey sausage (doesn't have to be turkey it can be pork sausage, but turkey is healthier and leaner. Again, not required) a sweet potato, and mixed veggies. One of my favorite snacks is Skinny Cow peanut butter and chocolate ice cream sandwich. Which, by the way is perfectly okay on this plan since they are less than 200 calories. Anyway here are the results

I started on 03/24/2010

Weight 197.4
% of body fat 49.32
fat weight 97.12
lean body mass 99.5

I am currently in a size 16.


05/03/2010
Weight 189.8
fat weight 79.39
% of body fat 41.83
lean body mass 110.41


7.6 pounds lost overall
% if body fat went down 9%
lost 17.73 pounds of fat!!!!!
gained 10.91 pounds of lean muscle

size 16 is getting looser and I can now fit into
some 14's.

Bead of the Week

This particular set is a new technique I tried and I have to say that I really like this set. I am pretty fond of blue and these just turned out really well. I will be making more of these in a variety of colors I believe. If you think of an interesting color combination that you would like to see these in please feel free to leave a comment.

And for those of you who are curious, I will be posting an update on my progress with the new food plan and how the weight loss/fitness thing is going.

Orange and Yellow Summer Flower Handmade Lampwork Bead

I have been working on my floral and encasing skills. I am quite happy with some of my most recent results. The florals can be quite challenging as they are a multi layer bead. The first layer is the base color or the background if you will. Then comes the vine or stem layer, usually a twisty of whatever combination you think will compliment the flowers. This is encased in a layer of clear. On top of that layer of clear go the flowers. Most flowers are also multi layer for depth. You base petal color, then usually a transparent on top of that for depth. This is melted in and then the centers are plunged, (many times with a contrasting color for the center of the flower). A dot of clear over the center if you want a bubble. Then of course you have another layer of clear to finish it off. This is the simple version, I have seen floral beads that have four to six layers of clear and are complete works of art! I am happy with my progress so far lol!

A New Design

I have been spending a lot of time on the lampwork beads. Totally love doing this, and am very happy with my progress. So anyway, the jewelry had been kind of on the back burner for a bit, I made a pair of earring here and a quick bracelet there but nothing too strenuous. One day I really just felt the need to do something a bit more complicated and involved. So I sat down and made this. I am very happy with the way it turned out and plan on doing more of these with a variety of stones and lampwork, with both copper and sterling silver wire. Would love any comments on the design. I am also just starting a beaded cabochon, which is something on my list of things that I wanted to learn. Can't wait to see how it turns out lol.

Glad To Be Back

Well I have been gone for a bit, I do appreciate your patience! I had been having problems with severe fatigue for quite some time now and its generally worse in the winter time so I was pretty much too tired to do much of anything but go to work and make it through the day. I am happy to say that we seem to have found the problem and the course of action is working. (no drugs lol). I also had gained back most of the weight I had lost simply due to being too tired to do anything. I am back on track with that again and now have the energy to actually exercise on a daily basis. I am very grateful to have found an eating plan that is working for me. No more starvation diets. The weight won't come off overnight but after the first 18 days I am feeling much better, never hungry and am beginning to feel stronger and more flexible physically. And without that walking through mud feeling plaguing my days, I might actually be able to accomplish all that I hope to accomplish. So I am going to post fairly regularly how the whole weight loss thing is going, (don't worry, it will probably be about once a month lol).

I started on 03/24/2010

Weight 197.4
% of body fat 49.32
fat weight 97.12
lean body mass 99.5

I am currently in a size 16.

My goal is to lose between 50 and 60 pounds and to get to size 12 comfortably. Mostly though, I want to be healthy, to have the energy and the strength to do whatever I want to do for the day without dragging all the time.

Bonus would be enjoying shopping for clothes (not too much lol since that might break the budget but at least not dread it). A little more self esteem and confidence would be welcome also.

So anyway, I will be back to posting about my jewelry, my beads, other peoples stuff and my life in general on a fairly regular basis I hope. Talk to you soon!

A Potpourri of Light and Color

I will occasionally be having a guest writer for my blog. This will be the first of three to begin with. I would love your opinions on the content and if it was helpful in any way, or, if you just enjoyed reading it. And of course, I think my jewelry is the perfect compliment for making a unique, whimsical statement in your wardrobe!

It is often a glint of color or a bit of sparkle that first catches the eye. The onlooker pauses and then explores more deeply, taking in the fine textures of the materials, the workmanship and the sense of style that combine to create the look. This is not some judge at an art show or the art-lover visiting a gallery. I am talking about the person next to you on the bus, the couple across from you in the coffee shop, or the receptionist at your next appointment. T

he glints, the gleams and the layers of tasteful beauty that these onlookers appreciate are on you. You can wear them with confidence so you will not only look your best, but you can do so in a unique style that screams, I do not conform to the laws of “trendy” and “fashionable”. I am my own person.

To create this look, start with good, solid basics. If you’re dressing in jeans and a sweater, complement the look with a good belt. Hand-tooled leather with an intricate design would be good. Then add a tapestry cloth vest, one whose weaving is shot through with glints of bright silk in bold colors. Keep the fabrics of sweater and vest smooth and comfortable, and then make sure the jeans are not so plain or new that they clash. Softly worn denim with subtle overstitching for decoration would be a good choice. Tuck the jeans into a good pair of boots, well made, low heeled and not so high up on the calf that you resemble a member of the musketeers. Now, add a scarf, or maybe a boa? Do you have a special pair of earrings or a new suede cap? Begin to build on the basics, layer upon layer of pure “you”. After all, your outfit is sort of the window dressing on the person you are displaying to the world. Make sure that yours complements and never clashes with the person you wish to be seen as when you venture out.

So, maybe, you don’t have all of the elements. That’s fine. You have basics, or you’d never make it out of the house. Experiment. A splash of color or a glimmer of jewelry can make a dull suit or dress sing an aria, and the song will be of your own composing. Keep the layers light, so you can add or subtract without feeling like you’re molting, and feel free to change them about as the day and your needs change. For lunch, doff the cap and scarf, and let that beaded necklace that was hiding have a chance to peep out. You are a one-woman show in style, or at least that’s what you will appear to be.

The concept of layering is not new. Most, however, seem to think of it in conjunction with keeping warm. And while layers are great for added warmth, they can add drama or fun or mystery just as easily. So, have fun with the concept. Make a new statement every day, or simply modify the same one so that you are consistent, but never repetitive. It begins with a glint or a sparkle. Where it goes from there is up to you.