Wednesday, May 30, 2007

May Days

May is almost gone. Time goes by so quickly these days. May has been spent ordering new beads for the store, sorting, pricing and getting them on the floor. I have made a couple necklaces and taught a free form peyote class. I really enjoy teaching free form. Though it is random, the flow needs to be there to make it work. My student "had the flow" and I know she will take it far.



Our daughter Katwyn and 4 of her children are visiting us for a week. It is a precious time to spend with her and the grandchildren. The "little ones", Johanna and AJ beaded with me the other night and they both made beautiful jewelry. AJ made a very colorful bracelet for his big sister who did not come on this visit and Johanna designed a beautiful necklace for her mother.

Today they will go back to Busch Gardens for another fun day while Burt and I are back to work after having 4 days off with them. It is time to schedule new classes and have the website updated. I am looking forward to getting back in the stores.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Jewelry Ideas Spinning in my Head

The Williamsburg show was a success and alot of fun. There seemed to be many more jewelry vendors there, both beaded, metal and wireworked. I am finding this to be true at all shows I go to. I am glad I do this for a creative outlet and not for a living. It is getting harder to compete with other artists as well as all the retail jewelry made overseas.
Saturday night, Bead Haven was a vendor at the Art and Soul Retreat in Hampton. It was a fun experience and I really enjoyed meeting all the artists attending the retreat. The artwork created there is really cool. I took a class , Uncommon Objects in Tassels & Fringe, from Susan Lenart Kazmer. What a great instructor she is! It brought me close to my roots when I used found objects to create jewelry. I had really lost touch with that until now. In my senior year of high school, I won first place in the schools art show. I made a necklace that was made from wire from Dad's garage, shells from the beach, wooden beads and peacock feathers found nearby. I wonder what happened to that necklace.... My head is spinning with ideas. I can't wait to get into my studio!