Running on empty

Let me take you to 3am this morning, when I awoke to a sore throat because I had been coughing hard, in my sleep. This led to a full on, wide awake coughing fit. I go to the bathroom. Get a drink of water. Take another Sudafed. Go back to bed. I’m still coughing.

Joe: : “Tomorrow, you’re going back to the Dr.”

This spurs a full on meltdown with crying, and I pull my pillow from the bed and apologize for keeping him up, and go down to the very cold living room to try to stop coughing. I get back to sleep for maybe an hour and he wakes me up to get me to go back up to bed. I sleep for 35 minutes on and off,  and then, it’s time to get up.

<– this is how i look this morning. work is going to be a real challenge today. I have no intentions of going back to the doctor. this is just post nasal drippage. it’s a huge pain in my ass. i need it to stop.

*sigh*

Ok, rewind. After dinner I stow myself away in the studio, and it takes me a good hour to get into anything. I feel panic set in as I realize all these people are going to be showing up this Saturday for a great “STOCKED” open house, and I have to deliver. I crank out a few pieces before bed. Whew.  Hopefully I can create several pieces each night this week- then I’ll feel good about the weekend. I am looking forward to it. I found out Erin Siegel is coming up with her husband for the weekend- we’ll be picking our book contributors.  You have until the end of tomorrow to submit pieces to the Flickr group for Jewelry Accord! I hope you are all working on fabulous, unique, and funky designs to submit!

Camera update. I sold my Olympus camera and will be shipping it off to its new owner today. My new camera, a shiny fabulous Lumix should be arriving this week, hopefully before the weekend. Which means, no photos for a few days, but I have some books to give away and maybe I’ll do a tutorial for ya too.  So plenty of blog content coming. No worries.

Hope you are all getting lots of rest this week. I’ll live vicariously through you all. And if anyone has any brilliant solutions for post nasal drip, please tell me before I lose my mind, coughing.

Friends, Breakfast, and a Challenge

Look who showed up on my doorstep Sunday morning! Nancy Schindler brought her friend Daniele Vick, another Ceramics artist who I know from Facebook and blogging, and the three of us went out for breakfast! It was so cool meeting Dani in person finally!

The three of us had fun talking shop, being silly, and had some good laughs. After breakfast, we headed to Michaels- YUH! You KNOW I had to get them all involved in another little Michaels Challenge- and Dani is participating too!  We picked out our beads and headed back home to get some pics in the studio. We weren’t really feelin’ the Flip but the girls got lots of great stills, like this one that Nancy took, above.

Look how cool my studio looks in this shot! I love it. We had a blast. It’s so nice to get together with friends once in a while. I am starting to feel a bit better now after a few days of taking antiobiotics for this sinus infection. I just about drove Joe insane while lying in bed last night, coughing non-stop due to the post nasal drip going on. it’s AWFUL! Luckily I was able to find a decongestant and that seemed to help and I slept all night soundly.

Anyhoo, on to the good stuff. The Michaels challenge is going to work the same way it did last time. We chose several strands of beads/chain- we can bring in 2 additional beads or colors- and choose our own focal. Any clasp will be fine. We are doing necklaces.  The beads with the green tags, regularly priced $5.99 are on sale for 40% this week. We took advantage and bought mostly in this category. Except the chain.

Peacock freshwater pearls, gunmetal chain, faceted mother of pearl ovals, chunky black nuggets, and some glass that is transparent with silver edges. The pretty blingy toggle below is something I found during our trip, that I thought would work well with the beads we picked.  The theme is wintery (but with these colors, I’m thinking Stormy. I am really excited to see what we each come up with and I hope that if you have a Michaels nearby, you should definitely play along too! We’ll be revealing our finished designs Friday December 17th.

For Sale: Olympus SP-350

It’s the year of upgrades, what can I say! I have decided to upgrade my digital camera, therefore, am going to try to find a new home for my used Olympus SP-350. My camera is about 2 years old. It works exceptionally well- I am upgrading for something a bit beefier.

I would like to get $175 for this camera. 
There is a BUY IT NOW button at the bottom of this post.

Since I can’t really take photos of the camera, here are some stock photos. I will say that the camera is in excellent shape. Some light wear and tear on the back, and a few tiny little scratches on the screen.

The specs are:

8.0 Megapixels
This 8.0-megapixel camera features a 3x optical and Olympus precision-crafted lenses to help you capture high-quality images with subtle detail–up close or at a distance.

2.5-Inch LCD
The large LCD helps you view and share images during shooting and playback.

Easy Print
One-button printing from the camera to any PictBridge-enabled printer (including the Olympus P-11).

Full Manual and Automatic Control
Whether you’re feeling creative or prefer the camera to handle things, you have the power to decide.

30 Selectable Shooting Modes
Simply turn the dial and select the desired shooting mode from 27 creative scene options–including landscape, portrait, indoor, night scene, candle, or fireworks.

Expanded Capabilities
As your needs change, add conversion lenses to the camera’s threaded barrels. The SP-350 even has a hot shoe to attach external flashes for photo ops with challenging lighting conditions. The camera can be taken on your scuba vacation with the optional underwater housings. (Not included; must be purchased separately.)

TruePic TURBO Image Processor
Olympus’ exclusive built-in technology enables smoother, more accurate images with accelerated startup and shutter release times.

QuickTime Movie Mode with Audio
Bring your pictures to life, then e-mail them to family and friends.

What’s in the Box
Olympus SP-350 digital camera, strap, multi-connector for USB and AV, CR-V3 battery, basic instruction manual, quick start guide, warranty card, CD ROM: Olympus Master Software, and advanced manual

Product Description

The ultimate in creativityWhen you need a camera that can keep up with all your creativity, the SP-350 wonât let you down. Its unique ergonomic frame is packed with features including 8.0 million pixels, a 6.4cm LCD and 24 scene modes. It even has a hot-shoe which allows you to connect an external flash for situations that need extra light.8.0 million pixelsLarge 6.4cm LCD3x optical zoom (equiv. 38-114mm) 1:2.8-4.9Hot-shoe for connecting an external flashSuper macro mode up to 2cm P, A, S, M mode plus 24 scene modesHistogram function in shooting modeMovie recording function (30 frames per sec, VGA size) with sound.

Here is a nice example of one the pictures I took with this camera:

I will ship the camera, packaged well, and via Priority Mail, for $5.00. I will contribute $100 of insurance on the package for loss or damage.

*I will also include a 256MB FUJIFILM xD- camera card; a neck strap, and a camera case for free. The camera uses 2 AA batteries or a lithium ion rechargeable battery pack: Not included.

Please leave comments if you have any questions.

SOLD

Sicky

It feels like it’s been days since I’ve been in the studio. I came down with something on my way from Raleigh last week. Yesterday, after feeling crappy all week, I finally headed to Urgent Care and found out I have a sinus infection, so now I’m on antibiotics. It’s been YEARS since I’ve taken any. I very rarely get this sick. During the days, I feel great. I mean- functional!

Last night, Joe was watching a game on tv, so I was forced to head into the studio. I did a few new things.

This wire wrapped bracelet features pretty faceted citrine nuggets, peach Muscovite ovals, a Ceramic round from Gaea, and small teal ceramic rounds from Mary Ann Carroll. The large enamel ring is from C-Koop beads, and I finished it all off with a small bird charm from Jade Scott. This one will be available in my Big Cartel Shop shortly.

This second one,  a necklace- has to be one of my favorite pieces so far. I love this Green Girl Studios Floral Cross;

…instead of using it like a typical pendant, I used it as a connector, since it has a hole at the top and bottom. I did simple loops on the coral Swarovski glass pearls (that I got at Ornamentea) and wire wrapped blue opal coins along with vintage mother of pearl buttons. The brass disc chain is vintage, and was given to me by Erin of Tesori Trovati.

A random necklace with three different sections- Joe told me it looked like it was 3 necklaces in one. I guess?  It was a peaceful necklace to make, in between the coughing, anyway. 😉

This necklace is already spoken for- by an amazing woman I know, who not only battled cancer, but also brain surgery last week.  You ROCK, C. 

I figure in a few days I’ll be back to normal. Til then, expect spotty blog posts.  xo

7 Days Left!

7 more days to submit your designs to the Jewelry Accord Flickr Group! The deadline for submissions is December 1. Need a recap?  Head over to the original post and read up on how you can become a contributor for  A Jewelry Accord: 50+ Innovative Styles Using Leather, Lace, Ribbon and Cords.

Create designs using leather, lace, ribbon and cords

Submit up to 5 designs to the Flickr Group

We’ll pick 2 designers to be contributors!

Here are a few designs to give you some inspiration!

Available at BIg Cartel

lorelei eurto big cartel:  Today 11/24  through Black Friday 11/26, use the coupon code THANKS to receive 25% off your order! Make sure to use to the coupon code, or the discount won’t work.

Recovering

Howdy!!  

I’m back from my weekend trip to Raleigh, and can tell you- it was a blast! Seeing my cousin Carey, for the first time in over 10 years, was such a treat. We are only 3 years apart in age, and always have gotten along swimmingly. It was sad to leave Raleigh, I was comfortable there. 

Unfortunately, on the way home I developed quite the sore throat. Carey was diagnosed with Strep but I seem to be improving which is very good.  Work has been crazy this weekend, getting ready for the holiday season. I just couldn’t get myself motivated to blog yesterday, I apologize!

Carey and Fairlie

So, some of the fun things that I did in Raleigh- We went and checked out the super awesome bead shop Ornamentea. I have been buying beads from their online store for a few years now. It was a real treat to be able to see the store in person, especially since I had heard so many good things about it. I will say, the excitement was so intense there, that I forgot to take a single picture. (shaking head in shame) I know, I know.  I didn’t even get a picture of me and Cynthia together which I am kicking myself over!

The store was so cool, so many great things to look at.  Here’s what I brought home:

That night we went to dinner at Busy Bee, in downtown Raleigh. An eclectic restaurant with great food, and fabulous atmosphere. Carey and I met up with Cynthia Deis, Elaine Ray, and Stacy Hartis- and had a wonderful time chatting, enjoyed a glass of wine, and a tasty meal. Even got to ride the city bus, which was an experience all of itself. 😉

Saturday morning we enjoyed the Christmas Parade, the Artisan Market, Lunch at a great mexican restaurant, and finally did my shopping at Ornamentea. I was excited to get some beads from Elaine Ray that aren’t available on the website. I also picked up some super Czech glass strands, and some neat seed beads. Cynthia invited me down in the Spring to attend one of Elaine’s Trunk shows at the store, and also wanted to know if I would teach a class. I figure, hey why not!? I’ll try anything once. 😉 I suppose I better start thinking of what type of class I want to teach- Could be as simple as free-form beading, or it could be something that works hand in hand with our book that’s coming out.

Saturday night, Carey, Ron and I enjoyed a great meal at NoFo- another artsy restaurant in Raleigh with a delightful menu. I had Smoked Chicken Ravioli, and for dessert- the best dessert on the planet-Sticky Toffee Pudding. The restaurant is housed in an original Piggly Wiggly grocery store- and featured many cool vintage piggly wiggly themed paintings, photographs, and even canned goods. Upstairs was a contemporary gift shop with lots of local artisans, where we found a metals jewelry designer’s work, SSD Jewelry. We both fell in love, and I have since signed up for the facebook, and favorited the etsy shop. Carey had seen Melissa Lowery’s work before, and fell in love- so she was giddy to have found it again. I ended up buying this bracelet, one for Carey and one for me. Had to have it! Here are some of my other favorites from her shop.

Aren’t they fabulous!? Love Melissa’s choices for sayings on each, love the vintage feel to some, and the layering and riveting, and the etching too!! You can see more of Melissa’s work at her Etsy shop.

I am definitely looking forward to my next visit to Raleigh. 

Got back into the studio last night, but forced myself- it was a tough night, but I did end up creating a few custom pieces, and a few necklaces for my shop. Come on back later this morning to see the newbies here.

Friday Favorites

 

LoriNichols

 MaireDodd

 SweetNellie

 Waterstone Jewelry

GalerieUrbana

heading out to raleigh.

4 am is way too early to be up.

seriously.

it’s gonna be so worth it though.

can’t wait to hug my cousin hello.

❤

Etsy Editing App

I just found this cool app one day on etsy and thought I would share it with you! It’s an app on the website called Craftopolis, and it allows you to edit all of your listings at once. Pretty amazing stuff if you ask me!  Here, I’ll walk you through it.

So, first, go to Etsy and on Your main Etsy page, scroll down to the last link on the menu at the left, called Featured Apps.

This link will take you to a list of all kinds of cool Etsy apps, but amongst the list, find Craftopolis.

 This site allows you to check out who is hearting you, how many items sold on a given day, taps into your tags, taps into your google analytics, and then also does this cool editing thing. Click the Quick Edits tab at the top.

You can edit listings in a few different ways. You can edit the prices of each item by altering the drop down menus at the top. So you can take a few bucks off each, or you can discount by a percentage.

But you can also edit listings descriptions,  and titles too! I haven’t found something this easy in a long time- I love that you can do it all at once. Now if they would allow you to change and store your banners here too, I’d be all set!

Happy Etsying!

New Acquisitions

Ohmygoodness. The studio these days is a real mess. There is stuff everywhere and that is exactly how the inside of my head is feeling these days. I’m not sure how I can work effectively in this atmosphere, but I do have hopes of cleaning it up tonight.  Organization needs to occur, but in order to do that, a destash may have to happen, as well- to make room for new stuff.


I have been trying to purchase a little at a time, some new strands of beads. I got a package from Limabeads.com yesterday…. glass pearls, freshwater pearls, blue agate rounds, chrysoprase tumbled nuggets, bronzite rounds, Russian amazonite nuggets, and my favorite- Lemon Chrysoprase faceted ovals.

I also ordered some cool enameled pieces by C-Koop Beads- large rings, and flower pairs, one of which I used in this pair of earrings from last night’s session. I am digging how they turned out. How do you like the more feminine look of these? Too outside my box? I love anything layered lately.

I also placed an order for a few more gemstones today, from BeadsonSale.com. I chose some green kyanite, faceted pearls, rutilated quartz, Peach Muscovite, and some prehnite ovals.

So now, I must make room for these in my bead bins. Now…. what to do with all these unwanted beads…………..