It Was A Fun Two Weeks

I've enjoyed the Winter Olympics for the last two weeks, and it's rather sad that they're over. I'm not whining, but we don't have cable or satellite tv and so we only got the coverage that NBC could give us. That is to say, we didn't get to watch much curling...

I didn't feel like doing anything today. Might have had something to do with my having run out of coffee two days ago and i just lack fuel. So i spent a couple of hours on the couch watching the 50km cross country ski ,and then hockey game. (And as i was nodding off i realized how rarely i sit down and watch tv.) I would have enjoyed it better if everyone who survived that ski ordeal had won something. And i wished the US hockey team had been a little happier with their silver medals. They must have had: "You must win gold! If you don't win gold you are big losers!" hammered into their heads for the last month. Perhaps later tonight, once the tears are shed and wiped away, and they are soaking in the hot tub, with their cold Kokanee in hand (a BC beer), they will see Silver Olympic Medal as a pretty decent accomplishment.

It is only right that both the Cdn Women's and the Cdn Men's teams won gold medals in hockey. And look at that medal count! Canada took more medals than anyone, even ourselves, expected.

My bf (babyfriend) is 8 1/2 months now. We're pretty tight. :-D

Tiny Glories

W 0 0 t! My fish finger bead photo was accepted by craftgawker (after 3 of my other submissions had been rejected). I have no idea if this will add traffic to my etsy shop, but google analytics will tell me. :-) I read about craftgawker in an etsy mailing. I believe it was an example of "free advertising". Too bad i don't really have much in that shop yet--another demonstration of how it doesn't pay to spread yourself too thin.

Yay! in a treasury.

Love Spikes beads chosen for someone's pretty Etsy Treasury.

Mulling over the single bead idea, i've begun making some character or figure beads. So far i have a rabbit and a monkey head. But i've also made a really sweet set of 8 salmon-gold beads. Photos this weekend.

I'm a Science Fair judge tomorrow!

I ask myself: "Is this really necessary?"

I am such a dummy! lol I opened a third etsy shop for my beads. I don't really know why. We'd been talking about how listing made-to-order-beads is kind of off-putting to folks who want to see exactly what they are buying, not just an example. And how people who shop for artisan-made lampwork beads want to consume something unique. They don't want to know that everyone and his dog can order yet more of the same beads.

So we were talking about going back to listing single beads, but providing the option to order more of the same pattern if a buyer really needs a pair to make earrings, or a set of 6 or 10 to make a bracelet. For some reason it struck me that it would be easier to start a new shop than to revamp the old one. Sigh. So now The Bead You Need is open for business. I'm not rushing to fill it up. Just in case i come to my senses. I mean, does a person really want to run 3 shops?

Etsy Dog People

There are some really nice people out there. My BirthBones were promoted today on a well written doggie blog, along with other dog item vendors. I really appreciate the folks that ask permission to use my photos before they use them, or at least notify me of their having done so. It is simply internet courtesy.

Apparently my Sock Monkey Beads shop was mentioned by someone in a post on the big Lampwork, Etc. site a couple of weeks ago. It sent 35 or so lampworkers to my site to check something out. I am curious as heck as to whether it was a good or a bad mention...

Photo is Zion, lab pit cross and a terrific family dog belonging to my babyfriend.

Nisa Jewelry

I've been corresponding lately with a very nice woman who makes some of the loveliest jewelry i've seen. These mussel shell earrings are a very small sample of what she offers for sale on her website. She's developing her etsy shop right now, and i can't wait to see more creations from her. Most notably, i look forward to seeing what she makes with my beads!

Nisa, the artist behind this beautiful work, is stationed on the northeast coast. I'm pretty much a central plains person, but looking at her work makes me wish i could comb a seashore for inspirational flotsam and jetsam. I can't help imagining the wet wind in my hair, the salt spray on my cheeks, and the calls of the shorebirds, as i handle and consider hundreds of pieces of wave-washed shell bits, looking for a perfect match for earrings... hmmm, maybe it's not too late to change our spring break plans...

Sometimes You Need a Bear

It's a teddy bear day for me: I've decided to make some changes to my beads selling/shops, doing lots of thinking about just how to best put said changes into effect, my babysitting charge is having a bad time with teething (fever, diarrhea, and misery), and i'm dealing with another high-school-education-for-my-teen issue. None of it very horrible stuff. All the little anxieties just built up over the day and have been magnified by the cold, grey weather.

On days like this, I used say that the negative ions were building up and affecting my mood, but some intelligent person explained to me that the negative ions are the good ones... that the negative ions were in fact positive... So i don't say that anymore... But it doesn't change the fact that i do need a teddy bear cuddle. I started sleeping with a monkey about a year ago... Do other grown adults sleep with a teddy? or it is a sign...? lol

Sock Monkey Keys

I want to share this really neat birthday present that my brother and his family sent to me for my birthday. Sock monkey key covers! How cool is that?!

Also, this is my 100th blog posting, which seems pretty amazing considering i don't usually have anything worth saying. Just like the majority of the bloggers out there! LOL Go, us!

And i stocked the Sock Monkey Beads shop with a new set. Someone can turn these into a pretty necklace or earings and pendant, maybe.

Olympics!

I don't know if i exactly "puffed with pride" viewing the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies the other day, but i did have some moments of utter joy: like when the whales spumed their way across the stadium floor, and when Cdn singer kd lang sang Cdn songwriter Leonard Cohen's Halleluja. Video of kd lang's performance the other night is a closely guarded commodity. It was difficult to even find still images on the web. (This one comes from nbc.com.)

Did you see how well-respected aboriginal peoples of Canada are? Hmmm. Perhaps native groups do fair better in BC than they do in the rest of the country. But i suppose it isn't unusual for a country to take pride in the cultural heritage of the native people when it can be a tourist attraction. (Sorry, but i'm a cynic.)

We don't have cable or a dish network, so our Olympics coverage is coming from NBC. I wish the commentators covering the Opening Ceremonies had been armed with the story behind the production. It looked to me like the first part of the show was some sort of aboriginal Beginnings legend being acted out, but there was no mention of what the symbolisms were, etc...great bears, ice flows carrying groups of people in different directions... I think we in America missed out on some of the message.

Spring!

It seems like about 3 weeks we have had grey skies and subzero temps. We've even enjoyed a couple of snow storms. But today the sun was out all day and we got into the 50's (F). Feels good. This is the time of year that i usually get around to cleaning my garden out. The shoots of the early bulbs are poking through now, so i removed the dead material from last year. It was nice to spend some time outdoors!

The snow drops are a little late this year, but certainly welcome.

I had a really nice testimonial from a lady that bought a BirthBones charm for her friend's dog. It was so glowing, i had to put it in my BirthBones shop announcement for visitors to read:

"I left the wrapped "bone" on my friend's desk on Friday and she called me up, all excited and CRYING! She was SO THRILLED!!! K---- the puppy is not "grown up" enough for her big-girl collar, so my friend is going to wear the charm on her bracelet until K---- graduates to her regular collar. I just wanted you to know how happy your artwork made the recipient. These bone charms are a gift the dog owner will cherish long after the last fancy toy has been chewed up! Thank you again - R--."

Bead Calendar

I wish it was more affordable to make these calendars. I used shutterfly.com for this printing project. I am very pleased with the product! I swear the photos look better than my actual beads looked.

Spaced Out Beads

A little bit of eye candy for you today.

I've got a couple of sets of beads to stock in the shop tomorrow. I did a set of my old standby, Aqualith. The subtle green gleam that comes through here and there on the blue band is particularly nice in this set.

And the other set is of some beads that i've made for use in collections of bluegreen transparent bead that i've put together for bracelets, but i've never put a set of them in the shop before. So check them out: i'm calling them Orbits. They are made with reduced silver foil so they have a slight metallic sheen.

I don't know if i showed you the calendar i made using my bead photos! Talk about your eye candy. I'll give you a peak in an upcoming blog entry.

Made-to-order "Love Spikes"

The crazy awesome pink transparent spiky beads are now available on a custom request basis. Yay.

Latest News in the BirthBones Biz

The BIG bone has arrived! My original ivory glass and silver wrap BirthBones are now available in kingsize. This is a much better size for the medium or large dog. So far i only have one listing in my etsy shop for the BIG BirthBone, and will just custom make it for whichever month is required. If i can find the time, i'll make an amethyst one for myself as a zipper pull or a dangle on my bag. They are very handsome in this size.

I've also made some listings for a crystal version of the birthstone bone charms. They don't seem to be drawing hits in the same proportion as the original design. But they are pretty and i'll keep them on offer for now.

I've had several customers tell me that they bought their BirthBones for their own use, not to hang on dog collars. I'm trying to figure out how to tag my charms to take best advantage of the kinds of search terms people would use to find charms for human jewelry use, and pendants.

Testify! Love Hurts! Valentine Beads

Naw, that's not fair. These beads are pretty pink and sparkly, but the spikes don't need to mean anything sinister. Maybe they symbolize, say, reaching out. Yeah, that's it. Love reaching out and spreading and offering warm fuzzies.

Ahem.

These ones have already sold and will be going to France, which everyone knows is synonymous with love. Fitting. Let me know if your want your own set. They are very cheery to make. :-)