I woke up in early 2024 thinking that I’d get back to enameling this year. It’s safe to say that it’s about all I wanted to do this year.
Here’s the proof.
I’m excited to make more. I should tidy up the studio first. We’ll see …
And, I’m going to (try my best to) be better about adding enameled earrings to my Etsy store. I already added a few pairs today. I always feel so very hopeful/ambitious this time of year. I hope it lasts.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this year successful!
Oh, wow! It has been a month of Sundays since I last posted anything. But the time it right to be mindful (aggressive) about my online presence.
I still make things. So many things. And I still can’t focus. Nor do I want to.
For this return to my website, the ideal move is to just show what slowed me down last year.
We got these two cuddle bugs. That’s Brian Uno on the left and Clootie Dumplings on the right. Clootie loves to play with string and yarn, and he will seek out any roving wool that isn’t under lock and key. And both of them like to help with beading. When I say help, I mean step in a pile of seed beads, decide they don’t like that feeling and then shake their paws. Sigh … They are troublemakers, but man do they make our hearts full!
Here are some really delightful photos.
Clootie loves his “guardian.”
Brian is our budding hydrologist. Don’t get him started on the strange being that calls to him from the drain when the dishwasher is on.
too many legs!
Clootie looking very much like a little lion.
In short, we love them. We’re pretty sure that they are happy with their lives. We are a happy family.
It’s the end of another year. And this year I’ve been particularly bad about blog posts. Have I written any in 2022? I’m afraid to check.
But hope springs eternal at this time of the year. The market season is over, and it feels like there’s nothing but free time ahead of me. That’s what my heart tells me, but experience reminds me that those thoughts are pure folly.
“It is not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do, it is that we feel the need to do too many things in the time we have.”
Gary W. Keller
First there will be jigsaw puzzle season which lasts approximately three weeks (or three puzzles—whichever comes first).
Then I have a pair of socks to knit for a friend. The good news there is that I will use random bits of sock yarn, so the change in patterns will keep me interested. (Knitting socks in a solid color can be a bit of a slog.)
In addition to the socks, I’m planning on giving watercolors a try: watercolor on paper and on fabric to embellish with embroidery.
And about the time I’ve decided that I’m no watercolorist, it will be time to think about getting a stockpile of items made for the market.
I want to do more bead embroidery, punch needle, embroidery, mini mosaics, bezel making and the list goes on..
Oh, and there’s always the hope that I’ll have the time to read a book in the afternoons. I’m not talking about reading a page or two on my kindle until I pass out with the lights already out. No, I want to read an actual book in some cozy spot with a cup of not tea nearby. Although, I fear that I might have lost the ability to do as much. We’ll see.
And then, between the new year and early May there will also be Art and Soul, some big birthdays, possible business travel, possible for-fun travel. And cleaning the very, very, very messy studio. It’s really bad. Tidying up will be like Christmas part 2 as I rediscover items that I’ve since forgotten. You know, that actually sounds like fun.
Here’s to a new year filled with new interests, new ideas and items. It’s gonna be great!
Like so many people, I made it through 2020 only to be left evaluating what I want out of 2021 and beyond. Over the past year I learned that I love working from home. And that the husband and I are thankful that we each have our own offices. I learned that I like a slower-paced/low-commitment lifestyle. I also learned that I really love my husband/spending time with him. We were able to go for walks, chat midday and hang out on the deck in the afternoon — time that otherwise would have been spent commuting.
I also realized that I most certainly want to get back to the Redmond Saturday Market. Even though I enjoyed a summer of free weekends, to what end? I felt unmoored without my Saturday routine, without that community.
Once I made that decision, I wasn’t sure that jewelry was the right thing to sell. What I make is small, and people do seem to want to handle it a bit before making a purchase. So, I started weaving. Then I started some fun embroidery projects. And soon enough I even did some needle felting for the first time in ages.
That all means that I’ll have a few new items to sell in addition to jewelry, which I did make plenty of last year. At least it feels like plenty. Maybe people are so starved for my stuff that it will all be snapped up. Wouldn’t that be a good problem to have.
Another good problem is that all of these new products have left me with more ideas than time. So now it’s time to rebalance. I know I’ll figure out a way to make it work.
Better yet: I’ve had my second vaccine, and Art and Soul Portland is happening next month. I am very much looking forward to all of the classes I’m taking. I’m so excited I could burst! Yahoo!!!
Until then I’ll keep on stitching, weaving and more. In short, I’ll keep on keeping on. I wish the same for anyone reading this
Does anyone really need to say that 2020 is the darkest timeline? I’m doing my best to hold on to the things for which I’m thankful—having a job, having the studio and a house big enough to give the unicorn and me enough space to give each other plenty of alone time and having a lifetime of craft supplies in the studio.
One of the small (not small?!) changes that has bummed me out is the closing of FusionBead.com. The store and the site have been a constant in my life for the last 10 years. They have been around longer than that, but I only found them once I started making jewelry.
They announced in late January of this year that change was afoot and that the goal for 2020 was to “embrace change and grow in new directions.” On March 18 came another email saying they were downsizing their selection. And then, on May 11, came the email saying they were closing. I’m trying to not think too much about how things might have been different for Fusion Beads had there been no virus. (Note: I’m well aware that this long lament pales in comparison to all of the woes others are experiencing right now. This is just my goodbye to a business that has meant a lot to me.)
Ever since I began making jewelry, Fusion Beads has been my favorite source for beads and beading supplies. (When the store was open, it was important to differentiate between Fusion Beads and FusionBeads.com. For ease, I’m going to use Fusion Beads from here on out.)
I took so many classes there. Several of the employees knew me by name. The store was bright and colorful and welcoming, and I loved it. Even though I bought a lot of beads from FB online while the store was open, there was still something so nice about looking at beads in person and finding items I didn’t know that I needed or wanted.
Once the store closed, I supported the website to the best of my ability—and the insane amount of beads on my shelves are proof .
I’ve placed my final order from the site, and it’s not a great feeling. I know there are still other places to buy beads—even in Washington. I can’t shake the feeling that with the market not a reality for me this summer and and Fusion Beads closing, it’s some kind of message or sign for my business. I know that’s pure silliness, but it’s all part of the weirdness that is this year.
These photos are such a small representation of the classes I took. There were resin classes, an etching class, a twisty-wire-wrappy necklace, one with the Ricks beading loom and so many more. Fusion Beads. You were loved. You will be missed!
