3 days and Counting!

I am leaving on a jet plane in 3 days. This bead cruise could just not come at a better time for me. Morale is low. It's cold. When I spent a few days in Philadelphia, I got so used to the ZERO snow, and the warm 50s weather. When I got back home it was warm for one day. I thought to myself, ahhh, we are on the way to Spring. It's right around the corner. And then BAM. the next day, we get 6 inches of snow and it's been blowy and blustery ever since. It can ruin a person. I am stuck in this rut.

On a funnier note, this message is for those of you I will be meeting for the first time in person, on the cruise. P l e a s e don't judge me. People are much different in person. I tend to be an open book. and P L E A S E don't be offended by my swearing. I have a dirty mouth. Most of the time. The F word and I are good friends. It's just my way of expressing myself. I'm an expressive swearer. I am a passionate person. AND sometimes, I TALK way too much. Have gotten myself into trouble on more than one occasion. Don't hesitate to tell me to SHUT UP! And by the end of this trip, you might all know way more than you bargained for, about me and my life and my dysfunctional family. But I am hoping to become great friends with all of you and I can't wait to give you all big bear hugs. I'm a hugger. SO be prepared.

On a jewelry note, I worked on some new pieces last night. I am quite happy with the outcome of my beading session. I was in the moment. Ideas were flowing easily. For example, this first bracelet- I came up with this design on a whim. These glass beads, the encased coral beads, I bought from Kelleysbeads. And the rings came from Jenn over at Blue Seraphim. I used some awesome steel wire to link them together with big ol' loops that I formed around a crayola marker. No mandrels in this studio. I use what I've got! This second bracelet is a simple strung bracelet with wood discs, and various lampwork glass beads from The Orange Bell. Not a fancy piece but a fun bracelet for the summer. I like the color combination the most.

And then this third bracelet is my first attempt at using some Polyester chain that I found at my local bead shop EmMi Beads. It's made by The Bead Smith. Very cool stuff. Nice and lightweight. I created a charm bracelet using a bunch of different things, Vintaj key and butterfly, a brass asian coin charm, a teal button and a Green Girl Studios Snail charm that I got from Beth from the Blog swap! (p.s. Speaking of Beth, Yesterday I helped her get all set up with her new blog: check it out at Beth Anderson Pulls the Wool. A glass drop from Unicorne Beads, a lampwork ring from Beads of Passion, and an amazonite flower bead. It's a fun piece. I also created another pair of lamp work glass beaded earrings for the shop. So stay tuned for these new goodies this morning.


The swap items are slowly coming in! I wanted to also show you these lampwork beads from Anne Lichtenstein. Anne will be selling her beads online at Etsy in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted. She sent me some really great focal beads! I love the shape of the tube bead. And the colors in all of them are amazing and perfect for summer designs. THANK YOU ANNE!