Early snow for Thanksgiving week.

It's a little early and though I'm not ready for snow, it is rather pretty. I was just waiting for Mr. Furnace Repairman to show up. Hmmm. What a time for the furnace to be on the fritz... We won't freeze. We're all cozy with a fire in the woodstove. 

Sitting here thinking about the holidays ahead. Thanksgiving in just a couple days. My son and daughter-in-law are hosting this years feast. I miss having everyone at my house but I don't miss all the work of preparing a huge meal and the cleanup after.

I've started working on Christmas decorations and I'm thinking of some holiday themed beads and jewelry maybe. Busy times ahead. Norm is very busy with the bar and I don't see him much during the week. I expect a rush at Norm's Place with it being a short work week and all. Especially Black Friday.

Thank you Veterans!

Thank you to all the men and women that have served in the past and are now serving our country! I pray for you, I cry for you and I raise my glass to you and your families!
It's been a productive week for me. I made several new pieces that I will be adding to my Etsy store as soon as possible. Hope you like them....
I'm off to Norm's Place to meet some friends for dinner. Did I tell you we are having Karaoke this Saturday and Sunday, (Nov. 13 & 14)? We're gonna have a blast!

BEADS!!!!

I spent the whole day at the torch making beads today. I hope to get some new things made for the old Etsy shop this week. It's nice being home again every day and having the time to devote to my business and no longer feeling obligated to spend every waking hour at NORM'S PLACE. We now have an entire staff working to help Norm with the bar so my time is pretty much my own again.

I've also been working on a new type of jewelry, (new for me anyway). Very delicate strands of braided cord with gemstones or pearls. I then add small sterling charms, gemstone drops, and other interesting things. The necklace above was woven with tiny turquoise gemstone seed beads and roundells. I used some Hilltribe silver charms, a faceted oval aquamarine and one of my lampwork beads.

Getting back to a "new" normal....

After weeks and weeks spent cleaning and spucing up a very old building I've spent the last three days at home catching up with laundry and housecleaning and I even managed to make a few beads turning them into this adorable bracelet......"MERRY ME" available in my Etsy shop.

I'm just wondering what our "new" normal will be like. Norm and I now own a business together and he will be spending nearly all of his waking hours there to begin with. Norm's Place (a bar and grill) will be open for business for the very first time in just a few days and although I will help out with shopping, menu planning and playing hostess at times, I won't be there every day. I plan on spending as much time as I possibly can restocking my gallery space, (Seagrass Gallery on Camano Island), and Etsy shop with lots and lots of new items before the holidays. I know, I know....not much time....

Regrouping

What a magnificent fall day! The sky is a brilliant blue and the sun is unusually warm for this time of year.



I've spent the day catching up on household chores that have been ignored for the last few weeks. Still getting the new business ready to open. We have a ways to go yet we will get there. We have had so much help and support from family and friends. We are so blessed. I don't know how we will ever repay them.

Where have I been?

I know I've been pretty scarce lately and I apologize for that. You see my husband and I have started a new business venture. Yes, instead of going into retirement, which Norm just wasn't ready to do after losing his job in this miserable economy, we decided to buy the little neighborhood bar that he has dreamed about since owning one back in the eighties.
No I'm not giving up beadmaking. Norm will run the bar himself with little help from me eventually but getting it ready for the public is taking all the resources we have at the moment. The building has suffered years of neglect and we have been slowly removing years of grime. With the loving help of friends and family we've come a long way but still have tons to do so that's where I've been most everyday the last month minus the days I've spent on the computer filling out reams of paperwork for licenses and such. Oy! So much paperwork!
I intend on announcing our opening here in the next few weeks and then I'll get back to beadmaking. After all, this isn't a blog about a bar, it's a blog about beads ;-)

A Southwest feel...

"Cimmeron"

Labor Day has come and gone and the leaves are turning color. Mornings are crisp and cool and there are spider webs everywhere I turn! Fall is here. Our very short summer has ended and it's time to start thinking about warmer clothes and , gasp......shoes. I've worn flip flops all summer long and yesterday, after wearing sneakers all day, my feet were not happy :-(. And what little bit of summer tan I had is fading very quickly.



Here is another necklace I finished recently. "Cimmeron" features one of my handmade lampwork heart beads and I've paired it with turquoise gemstones in an oval shape and Karen Hill Tribe silver seed beads. You can find it in my Etsy shop.