Trust Me - Ideas are Everywhere

I just couldn't help it. My dear hubby got me this cute valentine for the holiday. This illustration so endearing I made a bead to match. I think the little guy is worth a whole series of beads...hahahaha, the puppy. Oh, the DH is worth a few too!

The puppy has a cute little grin so I wish the photo would of captured that better but you get the idea.

Welcome Lionel the Loverboy

I think Lionel had braces! Look at that toothy grin. It was Patty Lakinsmith's Green Meanies (you have to Google Patty - her work is fabulous) that have been the inspiration for my monsters. Making monsters is fun as long as they are the friendly ones like in Monster's, Inc. and I really can't get enough of them. It won't be long and I'll be doing more but for now this is Lionel and I just listed him on Etsy.

Ice Castles

We all know I'm no snow bunny. I hustle from place to place when it's cold with my hands in my pockets and a determined grimace on my face. I'm wondering though if I just shouldn't adjust to it and get in the game. Rejoice in the white stuff and make some snowmen and snow angels. Not that I can handle big snowmen - Doctor McDreamy (the neurosurgeon - really, I have one the nurses call by that name!) says nothing over 10 pounds. But, baby snowmen are better than no snowmen if you're going to embrace the ice. Winters in Michigan mean snow - and in this area they mean ice fishing and a Festival called Tip-Up Town. It's an ice shanty heaven. Other nearby towns have snowmobile races, snowshoe races, ski races. Hmmmm, I wonder why we're the town with the laid back ice fishing contest.

A town north of us really embraces the ice - when I was up there last I took a photo of the ice tree. Every year they have this tree in the center of town. It's cool - in more ways than one!

Maybe all of this is why I like the heat of torches.....hahahaha.

New Style

I've been torching several hours a day. PPP, if you want to get it the best it can be. Here is the latest. It uses the Baleen
technique by Michael Barley and some wonderful silvered Double Helix glass that I'm not quite catching the essence of. But luckily you can see a glimmer here and there. So what do you think? Should I pursue more of these?

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Time Management Issue

I don't get it - well, I do - maybe! When you are at work you are forced to manage your time. If you don't, things don't get done. I'm not at work right now and things aren't getting done, including this blog. Ah-hum. Anyone else having this issue? I'm thinking the studio space needs to be cleaned. Do they have a cleaning service for that? I need one, really. But for now, here's a good chuckle and I think it helps to describe part of the dilemma -

AAADDKNOW THE SYMPTOMS.....PLEASE READ!

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better, even though I have it!!

A.A.A.D.D.Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:
the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid
there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter
the flowers don't have enough water
there is still only 1 check in my check book
I can't find the remote
I can't find my glasses
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today. I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Do me a favor. Forward this message to everyone you know,
because I don't remember who the hell I've sent it to.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

In the Color Range

So, it's not a road bead, yet. But I think I'm in the right color range. I've been tossing around the idea of felting some flower pins to go with my beads. I've done the wet felting before and I love making wet felt beads and felted soap so this is just a natural progression. It was Bethany Adams of Gwacie Beads that turned me on to the felted soap - she rocks as a beader and a person. She is the reason I have that great Etsy banner. I am such a rook and she is the Queen...From the felted soaps I moved on tot he beads and now to dry felting and some mixed media. See what I mean....if you can get a gwacie in your life she'll spruce you up and move on in a wonderful direction....

When I pulled out the bright blue felt to start I wasn't thinking about a potential color scheme for my pin. I just merrily began felting some petals. Fairly quickly I had this felt flower and realized that maybe it wasn't making me go BOOM BOOM POW. Damn it all!!!! I want it to pop. So now what........................................okay, when all else fails get out that tired out color wheel and check out where you're at. It looks like I was heavy into the analogous color scheme so I just went for it. I'm adding a very purplish seed bead into this mix and I think it's going to work out great. Maybe use the shining purple around the center bead in a branch pattern, or many in little single bunches. Now that the color where has so carefully guided by direction I can get to work.

How are you using your color wheel? I frankly have a hard time without. it must come from my days decade's ago working with Dave Barr. He was such an animal to color. So don't forget to answer the questions and show Me something spicy you are working on. Maybe we all need permission to have an inner-freak week!

Road Trip Inspiration

Winter weather is fine – if you’re of the age or agility to enjoy a good sled ride. I think I’d still enjoy it but I’m sincerely assuming my body would stage a revolt if I did. So until the miracle of space age medical replacements comes I’ll have to settle for fun memories and a heated window seat to the action.

Driving in winter weather leaves much to be desired. It’s not like the sled ride although both can be done with copious amounts of screaming. Luckily, this road trip is being managed by my husband. The DH is a winter warrior with a penchant for XM radio and enough focus for two. That’s excellent because I can concentrate on other things – like relaxing – NOT!

I’d been reading Niche magazine for part of the drive. It’s interesting to look at crafts through a retailer’s perspective. It also keeps my mind off of the tail lights of other cars and those well practiced lungs of my sledding days. HAH!

Once the magazine was done, and trust me I lingered on it, I looked out through the windshield and saw what you’re seeing in that photo. Photoshop sharpened it a bit for me but when I first looked up my eyes were just a bit blurred.

What I saw was an organic focal bead – Grey blue, hints of heavy evergreen, opal yellow (or uranium dots) with bubbles, and maybe a trailing of very lightly silvered ivory or transparent smoke. Call it snow blindness, cabin fever, or a deep desire to be on that torch and not on that road trip but that bead is coming. Sooner or later (as an art teacher once told me) you keep putting all that visual information in your brain and it will eventually reach the tips of your fingers. In one form or another I think every art instructor I’ve ever had that was into “art” and not just technique has repeated that same sentence. Input = Output. I’d have to add one more thing to that…..you can input your fanny off into your brain but without the technique it’s Art Appreciation not necessarily Art Interpretation. You have to HAVE the crayon in your hand and learn what it can do. Thank you so many teachers, past and present, for teaching me to see with my eyes and interpret with my heart.

See what a simple road trip can do to me.

Thinking Spring Already

I've already started on the spring flowers - Have you gotten any catalogs yet? This is one of the color schemes I'm working on.

"Hearts and Flowers" are beginning to fill my Etsy pages.

Snow? What snow!

Meet Ms. Mallory Hoffman

I'd like to take the opportunity to introduce a friend and fellow beadmaker to everyone. Mallory has already been mentioned in previous posts but I thought we were long overdue for an interview. Last year Mallory joined Lillian and I on our usual Bead and Button outing in June. It was a joy to finally meet my Internet Pal. It was as if we'd known one another forever. Clearly it was her personality that made me feel that way - I'm more like the flower on the wallpaper. She is outgoing, talkative, and knows a whole lot of us beadmakers. Hey, we're great people to know!

Mallory was kind enough to provide me with answers to a few questions - I really need to develop an "interview style". She is much more dynamic than my lame questions imply so jump right on the clickable parts of this introduction and introduce yourself to her. Mallory has her own blog (For the Love of Beads), and two wonderful stores, one on Etsy and another on Artfire.

Above and below are some of the many beads that Mallory can create and our interview:

Tell us about yourself - Who is Mallory Hoffman?

That's a good question. (Obviously she didn't get to read the Sharon is lame part!). She's someone who had changed and evolved and become addicted to melting glass.

When did you develop an interest in working with glass?

I've loved glass objects all my life. About 4 years ago, I took a basic lampworking class and the rest is history.

What's your favorite color and what are you currently working on...show us, please!

I have about 10,000 favorite colors. Right now, I love turquoise. It's the Pantone color for 2010. Yipeeeee! I'm very eclectic! I just work on what comes to mind.

Give us some advice for a newbie beadmaker

I'll give you the same advice that was given to me: Work every day at your craft, even if it's just 15 minutes a day. You'll be amazed at how much your skills develop in a short time.

And now for some silly stuff. If you were an animal what kind of animal would you be? No fair saying Pixie Marie (Pixie is Mallory's beautiful greyhound rescue) we already know she is great. Check out Mallory's blog for photos of Pixie!

I'd be a hedgehog. They sleep a lot!

Oh, the hedgehog thing. Just one thought on that. I've stayed in a room with you - when do you sleep? She's up early - and busy too. That is very unlike yours truly who is more like the hedgehog and would rather be a rooster like Mallory! Thanks for letting us get to know you and for sharing your beautiful beads.