Moving on to things that are more fun............

I'm finally done with tax preparation. I vow to do a better job of keeping things up to date so I don't have to do it at the last minute again..............yeah right, (insert the little icon with rolling eyes here!)..... I'm sure I've mentioned how much I hate paperwork. I would much rather pay someone else to do it but that's a luxury I can no longer afford.
I can't believe January is over already. Before we know it it will be spring. Our weather here in the Pacific Northwest has been unusually mild this winter. It was at or near 60 degrees a few times last week. And we haven't had the usual amount of dreary, rainy days. It's been rainy the last couple days though and my energy level is noticably down. I get so much more done when the sun is shining.
I just added a couple etched cone pendants to my Etsy store in case you're interested. I'll have much more time next week to concentrate on beads...I hope.

Sunshine Award

Wow, my blog has been nominated for a Sunshine Award by a fellow beadmaker and jewelry artist whose blog is called EmbellishYourself. Thank you so much!, (sorry, I couldn't seem to find a first name) .

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world. Well, it's quite an honor and I thank you so much. Now, as I understand it...

The Rules for accepting the Sunshine award

~ Put the logo on your blog or within your post
~ Pass the award onto 12 bloggers ~
~ Link the nominees within your post ~
~ Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
~ Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

So, without further ado, here are my nominees for the Sunshine Award

ARTSYMAMA

BELLABEAD JEWELRY

FOLK ART BY CAMPBELL JANE

JUDY WISE

KELLY RAE ROBERTS

LISA KAUS

MICHELLE MY BELLE

NORAH'S

TIME WITH TASHA

OHHAPPYDAY

ART BEAD SCENE

DUDA DAZE

Brilliant Friday

It seems California is receiving the rain we generally get this time of year. Sorry California, but I don't miss it. I'm so grateful for the sunshine and dry weather. Yeah!!!!!!

I'm spending the day with a couple of my dear friends. Lunch and ?????????????? Who knows. Can't wait! Lunch is at the Scuttlebutt Brewery on the Everett waterfront.

Newest handmade lampwork cone pendant with dangles. Love the colors and the glass has been lightly etched for a satiny matte finish. Almost like beach glass. Just add your favorite chain or cord. Just added to my Etsy.

Please Donate To Haiti Earthquake Relief....

You don't really need that second latte of the day do you? And is that $150 handbag really worth it? You can postpone that expensive evening out and stay home and play a game instead. Please people, Haiti needs our help desperatly!

Would you like to donate to Haiti relief but you're not sure which charities you can trust? Well, here is a site that can help. http://www.charitynavigator.org/

I'm still having problems with my mailing list. I think I'm going to have to invest in a different program but I don't have time to research it right now. I promise to get that situation remedied as soon as possible.

Still playing with dichro. Here are a couple beads I just listed in my Etsy store.

Mailing List Challenge

I've been trying to send an update to all the folks on my mailing list and I'm having a problem so if you are on that list and wondered why there are new things in my Etsy store and you were not notified, that would be the reason. I'm also trying to have patience but it's a challenge....

I ordered some dichroic glass to play with and I made a couple beads with it this morning. OOOoo, sparkly! I hope to have some to show soon. In the meantime here is a bracelet I just listed. "Beholden" Go take a peek if get a chance.

Coming up for air...

I have been immersed in paperwork this week. Getting tax stuff ready and weeding though old paperwork. Yuck! My least favorite job in the entire world. Which is why I put it off and it piles up....

I've made a few beads. Here is a bicone that was inspired by Marimekko fabric which I love. The fabric is bold and splashy and so colorful. I might have to buy some and make a shower curtain or something out of it. I just listed the bead in my Etsy store.

Dots!

Practicing dots. Stacked dots. Looks simple but the truth is they are not easy to do well. It's very hard to keep the dots even and neatly stacked. Its also hard to decide which colors are going to work well together. I really like how this bead turned out. It's in my Etsy store right now. I think it would make a really great pendant on a simple chain or cord. Or even ribbon. Ooo, ribbon, wouldn't that be pretty.........?

I spent a couple nights at my brothers place over on the coast. The weather wasn't the greatest but it's so peaceful and laid back there. My brother and sister-in-law have a small motel/RV park in Copalis, Washingtion. It's just a short distance to the ocean beach. While my SIL was at work yesterday my brother and I went for a drive on the beach. Yes, there are some ocean beaches in Washington State that you can actually drive a car on and my brother, who has the perfect little 4-wheel drive SUV, does this most everyday. He's big on fishing and clam digging and the whole beach thing. I'm a little jealous, actually. We had a great time and I wished I could have stayed a little longer.

Peace Be....

It's a dark and dreary day here in the Pacific Northwest. A good day for housecleaning which is what I intend to do. Probably better to keep moving on a day like this when I would much rather sleep....

I got together with a group of old friends this last weekend for a pajama party. My sides are still sore from laughing so much! Needless to say we had wayyy tos much fun! I managed to get a couple hours of sleep that night but some of us didn't go to bed at all. We played games and ate all night long. Ever play "Pictionary"? And of course I think we tried every version of "Trivial Pursuit" ever made. We suck at all of them! "Scattegories", "Uno", oh brother! All the while the stero was playing an odd assortment of music from "Foreigner", to Susan Boyle, to disco, and even country/western music. It was a much needed break from all the December stress. We discussed our next big "disco" pajama party over breakfast the next morning. Can't wait!

I've added a few Peace Button Focal Beads to my Etsy store and don't forget the "Aitutaki" Ebay auction ends this evening.Have a great week!