Daily Updates Archive

	Below you'll find past daily updates. I often include links and info that some might want to see at a later date, so I thought saving them might be a nice idea.

Friday 11:20 am 12-19-08

Two auctions ending tonight, two more ending tomorrow!!! Click here to go to my ebay seller's list

Yup - I've got two auctions ending tonight and two more ending tomorrow. Ebay's been so s-l-o-w for everybody, and there are only a couple of bids right now on my beads, so if you're looking for a good deal... Today and tomorrow's the time to get one (it looks like)!

Other news: We are stupid with snow - about six inches!!! I'm on my third snow day from the school district. This is the heaviest snow we've had in at least 18 years. And the thing is (while we don't get a lot of snow here very often), when we do get it, it usually melts within the day or so. But the temps have been so cold - it's just not budging. So I'll leave you with a pic from our front yard winter wonderland (I tried to let Max out in the back to play in it, but I guess he doesn't like his paws to get cold - diva)...

Friday 8:00 pm 12-12-08

I've been so busy with custom orders and non-bead related stuff lately that it's been quite some time since I've had anything up for auction. Well, I finally have a few things to list, so starting Sunday I'll have a couple of auctions. Then on Monday, there'll be a couple more (both very different sets).

I plan to work more on custom orders this weekend, and maybe even a couple more auctions - we'll see. They say it might snow tomorrow, so maybe if I bundle up and stay near my kiln and torch, I'll be toasty enough! Have a great weekend, stay warm, and come back Sunday night to see the new auctions - Bye!

Tuesday 7:30 am 11-25-08

It's been so hectic lately with the release of my "Rainbow Petal Tutorial", that I haven't had a chance to mention that Steve and I recently went to New York to watch his daughter Lauren run in the New York Marathon (she did awesome). It was my first time ever in New York, and it really lived up to my expectations. We stayed in Manhattan, so we were walking distance to just about everything. The highlight for me (aside from watching Lauren kick butt in the marathon) was going to see "Wicked" on Brodaway. It was amazing - I just wish I could see it again. The next best thing however, was found on You Tube! If you'd like to see a sample of the fabulousness (and my favorite part of the show), you can click here to see the original "witches" perform "Defying Gravity" at the 2004 Tony Awards. Awesome!!!

And, here's a picture of Steve and me on the top of Rockefeller Center in good ol' New York!

Tuesday 6:30 am 11-11-08

Just a quick "drop-in" to say that the auction is up and running! And, what would be more perfect to auction off right now than one of my "Rainbow Petal Beads"? This will be the last rainbow-colored petal bead for a while. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of interpretations different artists will put on the design after purchasing my tutorial. Should be fun to see! Anyway, here's a pic of the bead that's up for bidding now:

Tuesday 9:30 am 11-11-08

Happy Veteran's Day (especially to my Dad)! He served in the Marines during the Korean War, and I swear - he just celebrated his 81st birthday yesterday, and he's still a Marine through-and-through!

Now, as for the mayhem that has been my tutorial (live and learn, I guess)... It's done very well so far (thank you very much), but as luck would have it, I had problems sending e-mails yesterday, creating a "snafu" which has since been fixed (my apologies to those who had to wait to receive their link to the tutorial).

Also, some folks are wondering if there's a way to save it so that you don't have to go to a link every time you want to use it. There are a couple of solutions. First, you can...

Open the tutorial Right-click somehwere on the tutorial that isn't on a picture (jpeg or gif) Select "create shortcut", which will place an icon on your desktop that will go directly to the tutorial

Or...

If you'd like the tutorial in pdf format, one of my wonderful Lampwork Etc friends (Squid) put it into pdf format for me - I'll be happy to send that to you!

Monday 7:00 am 11-10-08

Finally!!! The tutorial for my "Rainbow Petal Bead" is available for purchase!!! Click here to go to my "Rainbow Petal Tutorial" page where you can find directions to easily purchase it!

Other cool news: I just got back from a weekend in New York! Lauren ran the New York Marathon, and while we were there, we went to see "Wicked" which was awesome!!! Anyway, I have lots of cool pictures and stuff to talk about, but I'm just getting ready to head out the door, so I'll have to catch up with all of that exciting stuff later today! Have a great day and I'll be back soon!

Saturday 10:00 am 10-18-08

Today's going to be very busy with making custom orders. I have a ton to do, so I better get started soon! I want to make another auction or two, but right now, my priority is to those who have placed orders, so as soon as I finish them, I'll have something for ebay!

This is totally un-bead-related, but Lauren's dog Sadie comes and stays with us often (mostly just because we love her), and recently she was over when a wild bunny passed through our front yard. Usually, Sadie would f-r-e-a-k out, but the bunny stayed so long, Sadie calmed down and found pleasure in just watching the cute little thing. Inside, I know she was dying to pseudo-attack it, but if given the chance, she'd probably just play with it to death. Anyway, if I had to caption this picture, it'd be " So near, yet so far"...

Saturday 6:30 pm 10-4-08

The new auction's up and running! It's a classic fall color combo, but also neutral enough to wear every season. Hope you like it!

Tuesday 9:10 pm 9-23-08

I'm still here, still making lots of beads, still alive. :) Boy, time goes by fast. One minute I'm just one week into August and the next thing you know, fall's started. Things have been very busy around here lately, so forgive me for not checking in here sooner. I've been working on lots of custom orders, and school/work started up again, so I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off (I know, nice visual). Anyway, like I mentioned above, I will be working on some new auctions this weekend, so stay tuned!

The big question I'm getting though is, "Where's that 'Petal Bead' tutorial you said you were going to write?" Well, the content is finished (and has been for about a month). I'm just waiting for Steve to help me with some of the technical stuff. He's been working hard on it, so it should be ready soon! Thanks so much for your patience!!!

Anyway, that's all I have time for now - gotta go get ready for another day of working with my awesome students! I'll check back soon.

Saturday 12:15 pm 8-9-08

Yes, my auction is finishing tonight, but have no fear - I'm at the torch today. I actually just finished making a "Rainbow Petal Bead", and am planning a tutorial on how to make that style. I get a lot of e-mails from lampworkers asking how it's done, and I think a tutorial (which will be available for purchase) is the best way to go. I'm not sure when I'll have it ready, but I'm shooting for this week. If you're asking yourself, "What the heck is a 'Petal Bead'?" It's often a focal bead (but doesn't have to be), that has layers and layers of glass that look like petals. The petals have a very distinctive 3-D appeal, and when made with the right color combination - hoo-boy! It's gorgeous. I'll post a pic below:

So anyway, I'm heading back to the torch to start a new auction. Have a great weekend, and I'll be back here soon!

Monday 8:15 pm 8-4-08

The new auction is a "go", and features a very cool orchid color that is just for ebay. It's a beautiful color that looks fantastic with the blues and aquas that accompany it. Anyway, not much else going on here - just trying to survive a summer where the neighbors behind us leveled their house, and the construction noise from the rebuild is driving us insane. :) Other than that - all's staus quo.

I'm not sure when I'll have another set on ebay - there's going to be a warming trend here, so I'll probably stay away from the torch for a few days. Until then, this brand-new auction (which I love), will have to do...

Wednesday 6:30 pm 7-30-08

The new auction is up a running! It's a preview of my fall colors - one of my favorite all-time color combos: purple and amber. Hope you like it, and have a great night!

Tuesday 8:45 am 7-29-08

I've gotten a bit busier than I had planned over the past few days (and it was Steve's and my wedding anniversary), so I haven't gotten around to the auctions yet. But, today is supposed to be cool with rain showers = perfect torching weather! So look for some new auctions soon!!!

Also, just a short note to say that one of my perfume bottles was featured in the new issue of Bead Unique magazine, in the gallery section. Here's the cover of the new issue:

Friday 9:50 am 7-25-08

Just a quick pop-in here. Yesterday, I mentioned that Steve went on an overnight bike trip through the Iron Horse Trail. Well, he made a really cool website that chronicles his trip. If you're a cyclist, know a cyclist, or just like outdoor activities, you might find it a fun read (with some great pictures of Washington)! Here's a link to it: http://bike.smxus.com/ironhorse.asp

Thursday 9:00 am 7-24-08

I've been away for a little bit, so it's been a while since I've checked in here. Steve rode his bike from North Bend to Ellensburg (a little over a hundred miles), and then we went on to Spokane to visit his family for a while. I love it there - it's absolutely gorgeous, and his family couldn't be nicer. We went strawberry and cherry picking, spent sometime at his aunt and uncle's place, and enjoyed the wonderful dry heat (so much better than muggy Seattle heat) at his parents' house. Their backyard is like Eden, so we had just a superbly relaxing visit. Plus, his family (between all of his aunts and uncles) owns quite a bit of land east of Spokane, so it's always a treat to go out there and enjoy the peace, quiet, and beauty of the Pallouse. Maybe I'll add a couple of pics below.

Anyway, since I've been away, I haven't had any beads up for auction, but that will hopefully be changing soon! Look for some more beads by Monday!

This is a picture that Steve took when he was on his bike ride. He went on the Iron Horse Trail (also known as the "John Wayne Trail"). Look how steep that bridge is - those are the tops of giant evergreen trees next to the bridge! There are points along the trail where they don't have railings too - can you imagine???

Steve had to take a picture of this. This is at Steve's Uncle Albert's house/farm. Albert is going to be 86 next month, and that is his wood pile that he chopped to get ready for winter. Isn't that awesome?

Steve took this picture too, of Albert's farm - his house is off to the right, and if you look closely, you might be able to see a cow or two. It's gorgeous out there!

So that's about it for now - we're settling back into the chaotic life of the Seattle area. :) Beads coming soon!

Monday 6:30 pm 7-6-08

I wasn't kidding when I said I've been at the torch a lot lately, and it's fun to be back in the swing of ebay again. This week, there will be lots of beads to choose from.

Today, though was a great summer day. went for a long run, then Steve and I went to Costco. It's gorgeous here, and we bought enough food so I won't have to think too hard or be too creative when dinner time comes around. I love to cook, but in the summer it's hard because of the heat (not complaining, I'm just sayin').. Anyway, speaking of food, I'm out of here to make some dinner! Take care, and here's the new auction (super-summery):

Sunday 8:15 pm 7-6-08

Well it's 8:15, and I realized I hadn't updated my website to show my new auction (got a little wrapped up in the track and field Olympic trials). Anyway, here's the new auction, with another on the way tomorrow evening.

Hope you like it!

Thursday 6:45 pm 7-3-08

Two things - One, my new auction has started! And two, my step-daughter Lauren just got her wedding pictures back, and they turned out AWESOME!!!!! So, below you'll find a picture of my new auction and then one of my favorite pictures from Lauren and Garth's wedding:

Here's Lauren and Garth - Isn't she gorgeous???

Wednesday 12:15 pm 7-2-08

So it went from unusally cold to outrageously hot here lately (which is why I have no beads on ebay right now - but there are some coming)! I'm not kidding - the local tv news folks were calling June, "June-uary", and the past few days have reached the 90s. Today it should just hit 80, so I made sure I spent some time at the torch this morning. It was waaaaay too hot to torch the past few days. It's like some sort of "Murphy's-Law-Phenomemon", that in the winter, the heat of the kiln makes little to no difference at all, concerning heating the studio. But in the summer, when you don't need the heat - holy cow it's hot. Anyway, there is a set in the kiln right now, so I'll be giving it my college try to get it ready for ebay tomorrow. Please come back to see it!

Since it's been so hot here lately, I've been able to sit outside and do some light reading. I found this cartoon in &Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul" (yes, it's very light reading, but a wonderful book). It really hit my funnybone:

Wednesday 8:00 pm 6-25-08

Today was a great, classic "vacation" day. It was gorgeous outside, so after I hit my treadmill, I took Max for a run (we go every day). Today though, I took him a bit farther than usual, because he's finally starting to out-run me on our two-miler's. So today we went three miles, and by the end, he was so tired. Just as we were coming around the corner towards our house, a bunny jumped out of the bushes. Max stopped, looked at it, and just watched it jump away (with his tongue hanging out one side of his mouth). No bark, no chase... nothing. I felt like finally he's hit his limit (and now he's sleeping at my feet). I hope he recovers for tomorrow's jaunt! Gratuitous picture of Max in the driver's set of our car:

So, beads... It's a new record for me - three new auctions going! I haven't had that many beads on ebay in ages. I hope to keep it up. I think it will be a lot easier to keep 'em coming if I stick to the smaller sets for a while. But, if you prefer the larger sets, I'd love to hear from you too. I'm always up for suggestions, and love to hear my clients' opinions.

Tuesday 6:30 pm 6-24-08

The new auction is up and going, and the two smaller auctions are all ready and scheduled to start tomorrow - one at 6:30 and one at 6:35 pm Pacific. Hope you like them all!

It is gorgeous here today, so I'm going to peel myself away from my studio and have some dinner with Steve. Have a great night, and I'll be back here tomorrow with the two new auctions. Here's the new auction that just started tonight:

Tuesday 8:00 am 6-24-08

I was up a tad earlier today than I had planned. The neighbors behind us tore most of their house down yesterday and started to finish today. It's so weird - one day it's there, the next day, it's gone. Steve and I kind of wish we had done that rather than remodel our house (built in the 50s), but that would have required way more cash. Ka-ching!

Anyway, I have a large (and super-fabulous) set of beads starting tonight, and then two more smaller sets starting tomorrow. The set tonight is probably my favorite color scheme of all time - they were the colors that really made me fall in love with lampwork. Hope you all like it, and please come back to check it out. Have a great day!

Monday 3:55 pm 6-23-08

So there's been a small change of plans. I've just discovered that I have a difficult time with change. For six years now, I've been selling large sets of beads on ebay. My plan was to have a couple of smaller sets, and try to have at least one small auction going at all times. Well, I made two small sets, but it seemed so weird to have so few beads for one auction. Sooooo (baby steps)... I'm going to start a larger set of beads tomorrow, and then offer the smaller sets after I've started the larger one. Why? I don't know - I'm neurotic about change? For whatever reason, it will feel more like "me" if I have a large set going as well as the smaller sets. Anyway, the large set will start tomorrow (Tuesday) and the smaller sets will start on Wednesday.

If you check out the media section very often, you have seen that I have been waiting for a new publication to come out. Well, I just received an e-mail that said it will debut in spring of 2009! Boy, I hope it's worth the wait! I thought it was going to be released any day here. Anyway, when it comes out, I'll be sure to post about it here.

That's about it for now - Off to hit the treadmill!

Saturday 10:45 am 6-21-08

Woo-hoo! I'm on summer vacation!!! I said good-bye to my students, wrapped everything up at work, and now I get to relax and make beads. Plus, the weather is finally starting to turn around here. It's been unseasonally cold and wet, but it looks like now that summer's officially here, so is the weather. Even though the weather's gorgeous right now, I'm in the middle of making some ebay sets (taking a quick break from the torch to check in here). I think I'm going to try something a bit different this next time. I'm going to offer a couple of smaller sets for those who don't need 20+ beads per auction. Now, I love making large auctions because I get on a roll, and want to keep going, but I'm playing around with some new designs and color schemes, and thought now would be a great time to offer some smaller sets. Anyway, we'll see how they do! You can expect them (or at least one anyway) to start either Monday or Tuesday - maybe both! Have a great weekend!

Tuesday 7:30 am 6-10-08

The new auctions are up and running. Unfortunately, like usual, I wasn't thinking much about the ending day which I just realized is Father's Day. Not the smartest thing I've done - but definitely not the dumbest, either. Heck, I don't think that's even the dumbest thing I've done today. I wonder how Steve puts up with me. Anyhoo - hope you like the new auctions, and please feel free to e-mail me with any questions about them. Here they are (click on the pics and it'll take you to their respective auctions)...

Sunday 7:15 pm 6-8-08

I still can't believe we're one week into June. School's almost out (students are finished next Tuesday), and it's so cold. I had the heat on all week and it looks like it's March outside. This bites! Anyway, I have some beads cooling in the kiln that at least might put one in the mood of summer, even if it still feels like the dead of winter. Come back Tuesday if the mood strikes you!

Saturday 6:30 pm 5-31-08

A quick check-in here to say that the auction is up and running - hope you like it. I have to get back out in the yard and finish cleaning up a big mess Steve and I made today (trimming up our giant fir tree). Fun!!!

Here's the new auction called "Atlantis"...

Friday 3:30 pm 5-30-08

Woo-hoo!!! The new auction's all scheduled and ready to go starting tomorrow evening, so please come back to check it out. I'm outta here for now. I'm going to go for a run while the weather's nice, and then take Max for a spin around the neighborhood (well, we run for about a mile, and then I end up dragging him the last half mile). Lots of fun!

Thursday 7:45 pm 5-29-08

See? I told you I'd be back soon! I wanted to post a picture of the coolest necklace in the world that Vicki Walker (of Wiremania) sent me recently. I wear it every single day - with everything, and get tons of compliments on it. She calls them "Treasure Trinket Tags". On each tag, something of personal significance has been stamped. On mine, Vicki stamped my name, my husband's name, our anniversary, and the word "love". So fantastic!!! If you're interested in one, just go to her website www.wiremania.com and shoot her an e-mail. She'd be happy to make one for you (and believe me, you'll be happy to receive one).

As far as beads go, I actually finished the new set that I'm getting ready for ebay, so look for it to start on Saturday. It's been so long since I've had anything available on ebay, it may go for a very affordable price. Anyway, please check back soon. Thanks a bunch!

Thursday 7:30 am 5-29-08

So now it's been a month and a half since I've checked in here. I've been really busy with custom orders and other cool "stuff". The family went to Spokane at the beginning of May for their annual 12k Bloomsday Run. It's insane. I did it last year for the first time and dragged everyone with me this year. Everyone had a blast. How could you not, you wouldn't believe the spirit that Spokane has for their Bloomsday race. Over 45,000 runners!!!! Can't wait till next year.

The school year is winding down, and I'm getting ready to start seeing my summer private speech therapy client. That's one thing I really look forward to every summer. It's hard to believe it's almost summer (and it couldn't come too soon - I'm dying for some hot weather!

As far as beads/auctions go, I have have a summery bead set in the process of being made (I'm about halfway through), so there should be something up on ebay in the next couple of days.

Anyway, it had been so long since I've posted here, I thought I'd better let everyone know I'm still alive, still making beads, and still lovin' life! Thanks for checking in and I'll be back here soon!

Monday 5:30 pm 3-31-08

We survived Lauren's wedding!!!!! Lauren (my step-daughter) was married night before last, and it was amazing!!!! I may be biased, but it was the coolest wedding I've ever been to. The facility was superb, Lauren looked like a goddess, everything was just perfect. When we get pictures back from the photographer, I'll have to post a couple. Lauren and her mom organized the event, and they did an incredible job. It just couldn't have gone better. It's hard coming down from all of that excitement - Steve and I just keep talking and talking about it - so much fun.

I'm on "spring break" this week from work (some spring break - it snowed Friday and Saturday - it's never snowed this late here as far as I can remember). Anyway, I'll take this next week to come down off of Laren's wedding high. :) Hopefully, I'll get some auctions ready, but I have a few custom orders I have to tend to first.

Check back soon and have a great evening!

Monday 7:00 pm 3-23-08

The new auctions are up and running! I really got in the groove last week with this color combo. I just didn't want to stop making beads. I've said it before - "I'm a neutral-kind-of-gal", so these beads were right up my alley. Anyway, hope you like them! Here they are:

Sunday 6:30 pm 3-23-08

Happy Easter! Today was a lovely day. Our friend Yee-Suen and my mom and dad came over for Sunday brunch. I feel rather guilty because my mom brought over three delicious dishes (as well as a platter of chocolate-dipped strawberries - my favorite!), and Steve did most of the rest of the cooking. So I actually had it fairly easy today. Steve makes the most fantastic homemade waffles, and roasts his own coffee, so every Sunday is a treat. This Sunday was especially nice thanks to the good company. Hope you all had a very nice day too.

The new auctions are scheduled for tomorrow, so come back to see them if the mood strikes you. You won't be disappointed (these auctions are going to be super)! Bye for now and Happy Easter again!

Thursday 5:00 pm 3-20-08

I think my excitement for Lauren is spilling over into my beads, because the past couple of days I've been working on some new auctions, and I think they're going to be real "lookers". I went "focal-crazy", and will have a set as well ready for ebay on Monday. As a matter of fact - now that I look at the calendar, the auction will end while we're at her wedding - So much fun!

One more thing before I go... I've decided to add my "Petal Beads" to my custom order section of my webite, so those will be coming soon (I just need to find a bit of time to add them). They'll be found in the "special beads" section due to the time it takes to layer all of the glass. The rainbow bead will be available for order too, but the price tag will be $45 (ouch, I know), but seriously... Those gorgeous little buggers are really labor-intensive (but I love it). :)

I'll be checking back in soon - bye for now!

Thursday 6:00 pm 2-21-08

Update: Boy, that was fast! Thank you Dana - I'll send your bead tomorrow! And thanks to all the others who e-mailed too! See my earlier post below if you're totally confused as to what I'm talking about. :)

I'm going to be away from the computer tonight, so I thought I'd post a "sneak preview" of what the auction will be. It's only a half hour away, so it's coming soon. I love it - especially the light transparent emerald green. After lampworking for ten years, it's actually the first time I've used it (hard to believe, but true). I'm in love with it now, so you'll probably see it again in one form or another. Below you'll see the auction (and of course, if you click on it, it will take you directly to the auction), but first, I'd like to bring up that "special offer" I mentioned earlier. I had made a large star bead in a very similar color combo (but no black) as the "Vapour" set, but it just didn't quite pass my discerning eye to list it on ebay.

Anyway, I'll send it to the first person to e-mail me that they'd like it - for free! Here's a pic:

And here's the new auction:

Thursday 1:45 pm 2-21-08

The auction's all scheduled and ready to go tonight. I decided to just list one, but will have a special offer tonight just before the auction starts. Come back if you'd like a nice surprise. :)

I'm just taking a very short break from the torch (working hard on the custom orders), but need to get back to work before I "lose the groove". So, I'll see you back here around 5:30 or 6:00 with the special offer, and a preview of the auction that will start at 6:30. Have a great day!

Tuesday 5:40 pm 2-19-08

New auctions starting Thursday at 6:30 pm Pacific! Click here to go to my ebay seller's list

I've been really busy at the torch lately. Folks must be getting geared up for all of the spring shows, because I have a line forming - clients waiting for their beads. Luckily, I'm on "mid-winter vacation" from work (which I swear, I'll never get used to - I never had a mid-winter break when I was in school, but I'm sure glad I get one now). Even though I have a few of my fantastic clients waiting for their beads, I'm getting through them pretty easily thanks to all this extra time. I even had time to get an auction (or two or three) together. That will be starting on Thursday evening - same time, same place. It's a super color combo for the upcoming seasons, but would work well all year long. So, please come back to see it on Thursday night if the mood strikes you!

I'm waiting to hear about this new book I'll be featured in this spring (at least I think it will be released this spring. I'm dying to see how it turned out, but I'll have to wait. The publishers asked to keep it on the down-low for now, but when I'm given the "a-okay", I'll be sure to post the details about it here.

That's about all I have for now, but will be back soon (Thursday at the latest)! Bye for now. :)

Tuesday 6:30 pm 1-29-08

Brrrr!!!! It's so cold here - I can't stand it! I know there are other colder places around the nation and world, but mercy... I can't wait for spring and summer.

I wonder if subconciously that's why I made my new bead set that just started on ebay ("Cloud Nine") especially bright and colorful. I guess my inner warmer weather's trying to come out! What, only two more months till spring (two more months? I hope I make it!)

Anyway, here's the new auction:

Monday 4:00 pm 1-28-08

Wow, I just realized how long it's been since I've checked in here. Last time, it was snowing, and it is again today! I've received some e-mails: "Are you still making beads?" Heck yes! But, I've been so busy with custom orders that I just haven't had as much time as I would've liked for ebay. I'm not complaining - it's always great to be busy.

So what has happened since I last checked in? Well let's see.... We had a fantastic Christmas, I celebrated my 39th birthday, I had the flu (a nasty, bronchitis-dwelling sort that lasted over a month), and we've been busy getting ready for Lauren's wedding in March. It's a very exciting time here!

On the bead side of things, I do have an auction that will start tomorrow (Tuesday, January 29th) - hope you like it!

FYI - Danette Miller is still having a great sale on her website, and I believe she's also getting rid of all of her glass, too. So, if you're a fellow lampworker, and would like to help another out, go to her site, and send her an e-mail about unloading some of her glass! I'm sure she'd really appreciate it. If you'd like to buy something on sale from her website, you'll get 30% off if you type in the code "january2008" when you check out. She goes by "Netteables", and if you click on her logo below, it'll take you directly to her site. Thanks!

Sunday 2:40 pm 12-9-07

It's snowing here! Very lightly, but it is snowing - it's so pretty. Things have been very busy around here - I have quite a few custom orders, so ebay's going to have to wait till at least next week before I'll have anything again. I guess that's a good thing - I'll never complain about being busy. I just don't like to keep my clients waiting!

I also wanted to let you know about a fellow glass-bead lover named Danette who has a very cool website where she sells a lot of fun, whimsical items. It's like an online gift gallery, so it'll have some great holiday ideas (I love the pet section). Anyway, she's offering 30% off everything - just use the code "january2008" when you checkout. Great deals! Just click on the pic below...

That's it for now - I'm off to watch the second half of the Seahawks game (we're up by 20 points right now)! :)

Saturday 6:30 pm 11-24-07

The first auction has started, and the second is on its way soon. I'll post both pics below - you just won't be able to go to it till it "officially" starts at 6:45. Anyway, hope these do well! Over the past year (since I made my first set of rainbow petals), I've had a lot of folks ask if they could order some, so I hope they'll notice that I finally have some up for auction again.

Tomorrow's going to be "quite the day". It's the Seattle Marathon and I'll be running the half (13.1 miles), Lauren will be running the whole 26.2 miles (I think she must be nuts), and then Steve, his friend Yee-Suen and Lauren's fiancé Garth will be walking the half. Wish us luck! :)

And here are the new auctions:

Sunday 11:30 am 11-11-07

Happy 80th Birthday Dad!!!!

Yesterday was my dad's 80th birthday (but we'll be celebrating tonight). He was also a veteran (a Marine in the Korean War), so this weekend is extra-special for him. He was a manager of the graphic arts department at Boeing for years, and now that he's retired, he gets to spend as much time as he wants painting with watercolors, working out at the "Y", and keeping up with his favorite professional baseball and football teams. Have a look at his website, where some of his gorgeous paintings are for sale: fitz.smxus.com He takes custom orders just like I do, too... :) Here's a pic of dad at home in his studio - Happy Birthday!!!

As for beads, I'm a bit tied up with custom orders right now, but I'll be trying to get an auction out for next weekend. Maybe a couple beads a day and I'll have something for next weekend - I'll be trying!!!

Tuesday 6:30 pm 10-30-07

Woo-Hoo!!! The new auctions are up and running - well, the second auction will be starting soon, at 6:45, but you can see it here now. I hope you like them - I was very, very happy with how the purples turned out in the poked eyes as well as a few of the other beads. I've been dabbling with recipes to get a "perfect purple", and am thrilled how they turned out. I didn't use the new recipe on all of the beads, just some for a bit of a visual pick-me-up. Anyway, thanks again for your patience, and it will be intersting this week to see how they do. Either fabulously or holy-cow-I've-been-forgotten: either way, I'm so happy to be back!

Here they are...

Sunday 2:00 pm 10-28-07

New auctions starting Tuesday, at 6:30 and 6:45 pm Pacific (thanks for your patience)! Click here to go to my ebay seller's list

Well, the break I took from ebay and updating here turned out much, much longer than I had anticipated. I've been receiving quite a few e-mails wondering if everything is okay, and it is - thank you. Actually, I've just been really busy with other fun life stuff (company, work, high school reunion, running, etc.), and I think things are starting to settle down a bit. I've actually kept very busy with custom orders, so I haven't been completely away from the torch.

The good bead news is that I have two auctions ready to go for Tuesday (in my favorite fall color combo). Please come back to see them. Who knows, you might very well get them at a really great price since I haven't been around much lately!

Thanks again for sticking with me during my break, and I hope the upcoming auction will be worth the wait!

Thursday 3:45 pm 9-20-07

It's now been weeks since I've been in touch here, which is very unusual, but I've had to take some time off - for fun reasons. I started school (work) again the last part of August, and then my brother and his family arrived on September 6th from Melbourne, Australia. I really felt like I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, so torchtime had to be put on the back-burner. They're still here (and will be for two more weeks), but the best part since I last checked in here was our trip to the ocean this past weekend. We all went there to celebrate something very special - my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. The anniversary is actually the first part of October, but we wanted to celebrate it while my brother and his family were here. We took tons of pictures, ate way too much food, had fun at the beach, and had a glass (or two or three) of our favorite wine. It was just about perfect!

Here's a group pic - left to right: My brother Jay, Dad, Mom, my sister-in-law Maraika, me and my husband Steve, with my niece Emily in front holding her new stuffed cat.

On the glass front, I'll be back in the "normal" swing of things come the beginning of October, when I'll be having auctions on a much, much more regular basis. Thanks so much for all of your questions (wondering where the heck I've been), and for sticking around. I'll be back soon!

Monday, 8-20-07

Happy Birthday Mom!

This was Mom around 1955 or so right after she had finished her nurses training at Bellin Nursing School in Green Bay, Wisconisin.

One reason I haven't checked in here in a while, is because Steve and I went to Spokane for a "short trip", which ended up longer than expected. While we were in Spokane, they were filming "The Antiques Roadshow", and the Keno brothers were there. They're actually Steve's cousins (Steve's mom is a Keno), so the family got together - Leigh and Leslie actually took us all out for breakfast, which was very generous, especially due to their time crunch. They're really as interesting as they seem - completely dynamic personalities, and what you see is what you get. You just wouldn't belive their "fans" either - they're die-hard! :) Anyway, here's a picture of Steve with the twins.

So about beads... I'm hoping to have a new auction starting later in the week, but I can't make any promises. I have less than two weeks left of summer vacation, and Steve and I are trying to re-finish and paint our interior. It sounds fun, but we've been through three different colors for the living room already with no winners. Everything that should take a day is taking to or three. So long story short - I'm going to try my darndest to get something out there soon! Please don't give up on me, I will be back in the swing of things shortly!

Friday 11:15 pm 7-27-07

The new auctions are all ready to go - one super-hip set and a one-of-a-kind, first-time-design, super-cool focal heart! Please come back tonight to see them (starting at 6:30 and 6:45 pm Pacific).

Just a quick "Hello" to say that the new auctions are up and running! It's Steve's and my 5th wedding anniversary, so we're busy celebrating! So for now, here are the new auctions...

Friday 8:45 am 7-27-07

The new auctions are all ready to go - one super-hip set and a one-of-a-kind, first-time-design, super-cool focal heart! Please come back tonight to see them (starting at 6:30 and 6:45 pm Pacific).

So today is Steve's and my fifth wedding anniversary! We've been together for over twelve years, but have been married five years now. I swear - I know it's a cliché, but it seems like the wedding was just yesterday. The wedding was so much fun. It was just awesome to have all of the people we love in one place. I wish we could do that every year. Tonight, Steve and I are going to have a nice, romantic dinner here (I bought a bunch of fresh seafood) with a nice bottle of wine (Grgich Hills has a wonderful chardonnay). Sounds perfect!

Actually, this is going to be quite a year. It's my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, my dad turns 80, my brother and his family are coming to visit from Australia in September, I have my 20-year high school reunion, and Lauren's getting married! Holy Cow! I didn't realize how nuts it's going to be until I just wrote it all out. That's a lot of excitement for one year!

Just for fun, here's Steve and I on our wedding day five years ago today:

Monday 6:30 pm 7-16-07

The auctions are up and running (well one has started, the other will start at 6:45 Pacific). They're yummy - honey-ish, caramelly, and all no calories! Hope you like them. Steve and I are off to watch some more of our most recent favorite tv show (on dvd though): Boston Legal. I swear that show is addictive!

I'll be back soon to check in. Till then, have a great day, and here are the new auctions:

Sunday 10:00 am 7-1-07

Well, I'm officially on "summer vacation" (at least from my "day job"). The teachers' last day was this past Wednesday, so I'm free!!! I do have one private speech client I see every summer, but other than that - it's torch time! The first few days of vacation were hardly relaxing, though. Steve and I thought it would be a good idea to make jam, so my folks went to Remlinger Farms and picked up... 60 pounds of berries! That's 40 pounds of strawberries, and 20 pounds of raspberries. I was up to my eyeballs in it. Thankfully, my mom came over and helped my with the least fun part of it all: washing and de-stemming the strawberries. I don't know what I would have done without her. Now, needless to say, we're stocked up on jam for a while! Here's what 60 pounds of berries looks like (the strawberries are on the island, and the raspberries are on the counter):

As for beads, I have a bunch of custom orders that I'm working on, but I'm going to try to fit in a bead here and there so that I can have an auction starting soon too. So please check back! Have a great day!

Tuesday 6:30 pm 6-19-07

It's been quite some time since I've made any "petal beads" for ebay. There's been a thread on Lampwork Etc about them recently, so I took it as a sign that it's time for me to make a new set. So, here's the new auction - I have to run - I have a ton of dishes to do. I think I used just about every pan in the house for dinner! :)

Monday 10:00 pm 6-18-07

The new auction is all scheduled and ready to go for tomorrow! It's a couple of days late, but when I was trying to figure when I would be able to finish it and get it ready, I forgot to take Father's Day into consideration. Anyway, it's all ready to go - please come by tomorrow evening to see it.

I had a great weekend - on Friday night, one of my bead-client-friends was in town for business, and she and her assistant took Steve and I out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. My friends and family sometimes can't believe the cool people I've been able to meet through lampworking. It's really a gift to be able to meet such interesting people.

Speaking of Father's Day, I spent the afternoon with my dad on Saturday (went out for Mexican lunch), and spent Sunday here with Steve and his kids. I'm very thankful for my dad (and my mom too, of course) - my brother and I were adopted, and they gave us the best childhood any kid could hope for. Here's a pic of my dad, my brother, and I at Disneyland back in about 1976:

I'll check back in tomorrow - take care!

Thursday 5:20 pm 6-14-07

Man alive, things are busy over here. As the school year winds down (two more weeks and I'm out for summer), the frenzy increases. The days are flying by, and it's just been the weirdest week ever. To start it off, Lauren and I went shopping at the mall this past weekend to come out and find that her car had been stolen. We thought we were going nuts! "The car should be parked right here, right????" After security drove us around the parking lot, we found it. It had been stolen, all of her things had been gone through, but nothing was taken. It was drivable, so it ended better than it could have. That's really just the tip of the iceberg over here, but I won't bore you with the details.

And, as if I had time to spare, I spent a half hour watching videos from "You Tube" the other night. Paul Potts from Wales is popping up everywhere thanks to his audition on "Britain's Got Talent". If you'd like to see a guy's dream come true, click here to see the video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=i0dzZTPWrSM

For the stuff that you do care about: Beads. I've been working on an auction, but I have a publication deadline I'm trying to meet, so it's like one bead here, one bead there for the auction. I'm hoping it will start Saturday, if not - then Sunday. Custom orders are starting to get a bit backed up, so if you're thinking about ordering now, my turaround time is looking like its about three weeks.

Well, I better run - I have dinner to make. Not sure what to have tonight, as my brand-new range doesn't seem to be working all that well. It's taking everything almost twice as long as it should to cook something! We're having it checked next week, so for now, I guess I'd better make something stove top. No one likes to bite into a piece of uncooked chicken. Blech!

Tuesday 6:30 pm 6-5-07

The new auctions are up and running, but I have to run - I'm busy burning our dinner! :) Here are the new auctions...

Monday 6:30 pm 5-28-07

The new auction has started, so there are two to choose from now (though they're very different). We'll see how the bottle does. It's really pretty - I was very happy with how it turned out, but "objects" don't seem to do as well on ebay as the beads do. Why? Well, I'm quite sure it's because most people who are buying my beads use them in their jewelry and then sell them. You can't really make anything from a perfume bottle. So, the bottle will hopefully go to someone who is a lover of lampwork art, perfume bottles, or both! Truth is, I just really enjoy making them, and hope it goes to a good home. :)

Here's the perfume bottle (and the set of beads up for auction just below)...

Saturday 10:30 am 5-26-07

DANG!!! I did it again... I forget to "schedule" the auction, so it has started (and will end) at an usual time for me - 10:26 am Pacific time to be exact. Hope it won't effect those who will be expecting it to end at my usual time. Anyway, it's up and running with a pic of it below (check it out - some of the beads have been partially etched - I love how they turned out)! :)

I am so ready for this three-day weekend. I have some beads I need to get ready for a new publication, and several custom orders, but there is a new auction starting tonight, so I feel like I'm organized enough to enjoy the weekend. I'm just so thankful that the weather is warming up - the last month was a long one. I really belong in Arizona or Southern California, I think.

One part I love about this time of year of course, are the plants and flowers. My mom-in-law gave me a starter of this iris last year, so this is the second time it's bloomed. She gave me just one bulb and this what I have this year!!! I love it!!! The purple is amazing - I'm just waiting for a glass color this perfect... :)

Sunday 11:15 am 5-20-07

Yesterday was the day from hell at the torch. Nothing went well - the day was a waste. I haven't had a day like that in a loooong time, but I swear - nothing went right! The most frustrating thing? My bead release kept breaking! I'd be really close to finishing a bead, and voilà - destruction. It was almost enough to bring me to tears. So, here I am with a new day, and just about to go try it again. Wish me luck! So obviously, the auction I was hoping to start tonight or tomorrow will have to wait till tomorrow or Tuesday. Hope it'll be worth the wait! :)

On a totally un-bead related sidenote, my dad just added some new paintings to his website, so if you're interested in watercolros, you might like to check it out. Click here: fitz.smxus.com/default.asp (note there's no "www" in front of his address). And why not show one of his paintings here? :) I think they're wonderful!!!

Saturday 10:45 am 5-19-07

I'm so glad it's the weekend - I've had better weeks. :) But, today I'll get to spend as much time at the torch I want. And that's "a good thing". I'll have a new auction soon, hoping to start it either tomorrow or Monday, but I haven't made it yet. I'll do that today (I've had this set in my mind for about a month) so it can sit in the kiln, and then I'll hopefully be able to get it up on ebay tomorrow. Please come back to see it. If it turns out as well as I'm imagining, it should be quite nice! Hope you all have a nice weekend, and please come back soon!

Here's my most recent auction that's ending tonight at 6:30 pm Pacific...

Sunday 8:45 pm 5-13-07

Happy Mother's Day to all the great moms out there! Today my mom and I went out to brunch and saw a matinee of La Bohème at the Seattle Opera. It was my first time at the opera, and it was fantastic! The voices those performers have are truly gifts from God. Steve took a pic of the two of us just as we were leaving, so here's a pic of my amazing mom!

Saturday 11:00 am 5-12-07

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to check in here, but I'm happy to say things are starting to settle down a bit and beads are on the way! I've been super-busy. Last weekend I went to Spokane to run in the 12K Bloomsday run. It was insane! There were over 42,000 runners (that's not a typo). :) If you're a runner and you ever get the chance, you have to do it - I can't wait till next year! I did pretty well - better than I thought I would, so that made me happy. It's really a huge community thing. Steve's dad, his sister and her husband, and Steve's Uncle all participated. Lots of fun!

Also, we had an internet nightmare here the past week, so my site's been up and down. We're hoping it's all fixed for good now, but boy was it hell there for a while.

And beads!!! Yes, I'll be working on some today, and I have a perfume bottle that I'm debating if I want to put up for auction. It's the nicest one I've ever made, so I can't decide. I'll think about it today, and if I do decide to sell it, it'll start shortly after the next bead set (which I'm shooting for a starting day of Monday). The bead set is very summery - a great and classic color combo for sizzling hot weather - please come back to check it out. :) Have a great day!

Tuesday 5:00 pm 4-24-07

Well nuts!!! I was too quick with the mouse, and clicked "submit" before I checked over my newest auction - a very cool drawer-pull. I didn't get to schedule it at one of my "regular" start times, so if you bid on it, and want to watch it at the end, be aware that it'll be ending at 4:52 pm Pacific time this Sunday. Darn it! Anyway, it's up and running. I haven't made a knob in a while, and I just had a craving to make one this past weekend. Sometimes I get like that - I feel like I have to make something specific Weird, but true. Anyway, it's a fun and colorful drawer-pull that would probably look great in any home! Of course, I'll post a pic of it along with the other two auctions that are going now. Take care!

Monday 3:45 pm 4-15-07

I sort of screwed up a bit. On my site I said that my auction was ending on Wednesday, when it's actually ending Tuesday (tomorrow). Hope it didn't cause too much confusion. Here it is, and thanks for bidding!

Monday 6:30 pm 3-26-07

The auction is up and running - hope you like the beads. I'm off for now, but will check back in soon. Here's a small pic of the auction:

Monday 5:00 pm 3-12-07

Yes, there's a new auction going now, with a focal on its way tomorrow. I love the new set - it's springy, but with a bit of a kick to it. :) I'll post a pic of it below.

More importantly though... It's Steve's birthday!!!! Today's the big day, so in honor of my Prince Charming, here's a picture of him back when he was just a little tyke:

Happy Birthday Steve!!!

Oh, and of course a pic of the new auction... :)

Thanks for checking in - hope you'll be back soon - take care!

Sunday 2:30 pm 3-4-07

Just a quick pop-in to say the new auctions are going. Hope you like them, and I'll check back in soon!

Wednesday 9:30 pm 2-28-07

I know, I know - I said that I'd have auctions up by now, and actually the beads have been finished and cleaned - I just needed to photograph them. Anyway, I did that tonight, so I'm planning to check over the pics and have the auctions going by Friday. There'll be at least two, maybe more (I'm deciding if I want to spread these out over a few days or do them all at once). Either way, I promise that there will be some auctions soon, and thanks for your patience! :)

Here are a few pics Steve and I took at the Oregon Coast (Cannon beach specifically) last weekend. They're not really "bead-related" at all except that this is what I was doing rather than melting glass!

This was a view from our deck - that's Haystack Rock out there, and if you look closely, you can see someone walking on the beach (in the middle of the pic) to get some size perspective. It's a huge rock - the showpiece of Cannon Beach.	Here's another picture taken from our deck facing more north. The Washington and Oregon coast is beautiful, with lots of rocks and evergreen trees framing the beachside.

We rarely let Max go without a leash, but we did here for about one minute. As soon as Steve let him go, he sprinted toward me, ran in a circle and ran right back to Steve. He was so happy.	My two favorite guys. :)

Okay, this picture of us actually looks a little weird - it's one of those "someone's-holding-the-camera-while-taking-the-picture" shots. So while we look a little distorted, here we are with the Pacific Ocean behind us, and enjoying the nice weather. :)

Tuesday 6:45 pm 2-6-07

I'm on an "ebay roll". I'm going to try to be more regular (like I used to be) with ebay, so hopefully I can keep up this pace. I have three new auctions that started tonight - all very different auctions, but using the very same colors. I hope you'll consider them for your collection. Here they are:

How bright and colorful are these???? :)

Bye for now!

Tuesday 7:00 am 2-6-07

Just a quick pop-in before I head off to work. Today's a big day with five heart auctions ending and three new auctions starting (one set and two focals). Please come back to see them if you wish, and have great day today - good bye!

That's it for now, but here are my heart auctions that will be ending tonight (at 6:30 and 6:45 Pacific time)...

As many know, hearts are one of my very favorite things. You'll find them everywhere in my home (my deep red handmade clock by Michelle Allen is one of my favorite things), and I just couldn't let Valentine's Day go by with out some hearts. I know it's a bit late, but what the heck. I also decided to sell them seperately so that those who would just like one have an opportunity to get their hands on it. I've started them low too, so whatever they go for, is what they go for. Just trying to spread a little love. :)

Feel free to drop me an e-mail if you have any questions - Thanks a bunch!

Sunday 7:00 pm 1-7-07

Whoopeeee!!! Three new auctions just started! I haven't had three auctions going at once in a long time. I'm really happy with all of them, and hope you'll feel like hoppin' over to ebay to see them. I'll show them here (and if you click on them, it'll take you to their respective auction), but the best close-ups pics are on ebay, so if you'd like to see the detail (which with these beads, it's the best part), go on over to ebay for a minute. :)

Here they are, and please feel free to write with any questions, etc about them - Bye for now!

Wednesday 10:00 am 12-27-06

I don't usually do this, but I'm going to post a pic of my auction here early because I won't be here later on to do it. If you click on the picture, it will take you to the auction once it's started.

I love these colors, and like I wrote in my auction description, the purple heart is really a very pretty and unique purple. Anyway, here it is and hope you like it!

Tuesday 8:40 pm 12-26-06

It's been a long time since I've updated here, and it's been unbelievably crazy. Almost two weeks ago, our area had a wind storm that knocked out power to over 1 million people. We were among them, and were without power for four days. Have you ever been without power for that long? It changed my perspective on everything. We kept warm - Steve is a "survival" god, I swear. Not only did we keep warm, but he made coffee every morning, and cooked using his camping equipment. All things considered, we were quite comfortable (only thanks to him). We played a lot of games, listened to the radio quite a bit, but after the second day, it was quite maddening. I started to think that we would never have power again. We had to throw out virtually everything in our fridge and freezer (and of course, I had just gone to Costco). But we were lucky - the power came on in time for Christmas, and things are slowly getting back to "normal".

We celebrated Christmas yesterday, and had a lot of good food and great company. One of the most fun gifts of the day was what we gave Max. He loves to hang his head out of the car window, and I never felt comfortable about letting him do that. So, we got him what every dog would love to have... Doggles!

The new auction is all scheduled to start tomorrow at my usual time - 6:30 pm Pacific. Please come back to see it!

Tuesday 9:00 pm 12-12-06

The new auctions are up and running - one very pretty set, and a cool star focal.

This "pop-in" is going to be a short one - I've been just beat and need to haul my behind to bed a bit early tonight.

Here are the new auctions (of course if you click on them, it'll take you right to the beads so you can bid, bid, bid)! Good night! :)

Wednesday 6:30 pm 11-29-06

The new auction is up and running! See the pic below (if you click on the pic, it'll take you to the auction). I was trying to decide if I should make another set of petal beads or if I should do a Christmas set - well why not do both at the same time??? So here's my yearly Holiday set in my newly favorite petal design:

Today is the second "snow day" we've had here in the Puget Sound area. This area's been paralyzed by the snowfall, and I'm starting to get cabin fever. People tend to mock us around here because people freak out over just a few inches. But the deal is - it's not the amount of snow, it's the hills we have!!! I can't get out of my neighborhood without going down a serious hill, and it's icy. It's the same all around this region - hills everywhere. The news is filled with people certain that they're better drivers than the rest of us, and it almost never ends well. The good news is that warmer weather's coming, so we'll be back to "normal" soon.

I also wanted to let you know that I've added my Lentil Braille Beads to my bead gallery, so that you can now custom order those beads.

Thanks for checking in, and come back again soon!

Monday 7:50 pm 11-27-06

It's been a crazy past few days!!! Thanksgiving was fantastic - mom had us over for dinner, and all she asked me to make was the salad, so it was super-relaxing. I think Mom's still recouperating.

Then yesterday, Lauren ran the Seattle Marathon (she did the half-marathon - 13.1 miles), and did awesome. It was her first one ever and she placed in the top 10%. It was so cool to watch, that I plan to do it next year. I'm hoping though that the weather's better. It was snowing, raining, and freezing cold. Unusually cold. As a matter of fact, it's snowing as we speak (which makes for a frigid glass studio), and the Seahawks are playing Green Bay on our snowy field. That's a switch! We don't get much snow here, so when we do, it's pretty darn exciting, and all the news folks can talk about.

Anyway, I have a very cool auction that will start Wednesday, so please come back to check it out - I'm not going to say exactly what they look like, but I will say this... petals. ;)

I'm off to watch the rest of the football game. Go Seahawks! I'll check back in soon!

Sunday 11:00 am 11-19-06

My auction is closing tonight, and it's still a "buyers market" - the price is reasonable (but there are quite a few watchers) so it'll be interesting to see what happens. While it's awesome when an auction goes really high for several days, it can also be super-fun to see what happens when the price is lower than usual on the last day. Who knows - maybe someone will get a bargain (at least I think it'll be a bargain, because I'm really taken with these beads)!

Also, I've been a bit under the weather for the past couple of days, so things have slowed down a bit here. Today I'll finally get to spend time at the torch trying to get caught up with my custom orders - much needed glass therapy. :)

Jeanette Ryan sent me an e-mail the other day about her calendar that I'm part of. It was recently reviewed and if you'd like to read the review, just click here! Keep in mind that the calendar would make a wonderful Christmas gift for our fellow glass art lovers. If you'd like more information or would like to order one directly from me, click on the pic of the calendar below, and there will be a "buy now"button for Pay Pal. If you're not set up with Pay Pal, I'd be happy to take a personal check or money order. Just e-mail me to let me know you'll be sending a check or money order, and I'll set a calendar aside for you.

Tuesday 8:30 pm 11-14-06

The new auction's up and running! Can I please just complain a little about the main picture of the beads? That lime color is going to be the death of me. It never looks right on the web!!! It's so cool - one of my favorite colors - but it looks so weird once it's out on the internet. I tried to make it look "right", but I think I just succeeded in making it look goofier. Anyway, I just had to vent a little. I just love these colors so much - I hope they translate well enough to others!

Here they are...

Friday 6:30 pm 11-10-06

The auctions are up and running - two unusual auctions for me, but I've been having a lot of fun lately sort of switching things up a bit. Never fear though my trusty clients, I will have one of my sets up soon.

Here are pics of my two auctions up for grabs now:

Today I get to wish my very special dad "Happy Birthday"!!! I have to say that I was blessed with the best parents in the world (I was adopted when I was three days old), and I'm thankful every day. Literally - I think about how lucky I am to have them every single day. So today's my dad's day, and coicindentally, it's also Veteran's Day (Dad was in the Marines during the Korean War). So, it's a double-holiday for him! I thought I'd just post a couple of pictures of him - one when he was in the service (on the USS Anderson in Guam), and then a recent one. Happy Birthday Dad!

Maybe I'llk take this opportunity to give a "plug" for my dad. He's a wonderful watercolor artist and for his birthday, I created a website for him. If you'd like to see his work, you can click here: fitz.smxus.com That's right - no "www" - just fitz.smxus.com. Enjoy!

Sunday 7:30 pm 11-5-06

New stuff!!!! Yahoo! I've been dying to make these for a while, and I finally found some time this weekend to get to it. Cell phone charms! So the deal is that they're $22 each (plus $2 shipping). All of the charms below are available for the taking now except for the floral (mine). :) But, I"ll take orders for the charms also, so if you don't see a bead style or color that you love here, let me know, and I'll whip one up for you! These will make fantastic gifts for the holidays. I'll be giving these to just about everyone on my Christmas list. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me.

I still have two auctions going now - they'll end Wednesday evening, so hurry up and bid, bid, bid! :) Here they are...

Tuesday 4:15 pm 10-31-06

Oh no!!! I just noticed that thanks to daylight savings time ending, my auction ends at 5:30 pm Pacific instead of 6:30 pm! At least, that's what it looks like right now. So, hopefully those of you who were planning to bid on these beads at the last minute will notice that! If not - well, I guess that's a big bummer. You know, I think I remember this happening last year. I just never learn. :)

Anyway, hope you all have a really fun and super-safe Halloween!!!!!

Here's the set (with a close-up on the right of the focal bead) that's ending in just about an hour and a half:

Wednesday 8:30 pm 10-25-06

Lots going on right now! For starters, I've adopted a new pricing policy for my "Purely Lampwork" and "Braille" bracelets. I used to offer them at a fixed price, which was hard for some customers who might have only wanted a couple of beads in their bracelet. Now, the price of the bracelet depends on how many beads, and what style you'd like. All you have to do is pick out what beads you'd like in your bracelet from my bead gallery (I'll help you if you'd like), and add $30 for silver findings and construction of the bracelet. For example, if I just wanted three cased floral beads (which are $12 each) put into a bracelet, the cost would be:

3 @ $12 = $36 (for the beads) + $30 (for findings and construction), plus $2 shipping = $68

Much more fair and flexible for my clients! If you have any comments, other suggestions, etc., I'd love to hear them.

The other bit of news is that I have another auction ready to go. This one's going to be really different for me. You'll see what I'm talking about when I list it (probably tomorrow). The only "thing" is, the focal bead, I think is my all-time favorite bead... ever! So, I'm trying to decide if I want to sell it seperately or with the set that it was intended to go with. Again, any feedback, input of what you think would be much appreciated! :) So anyway, please come back to see the new stuff either tomorrow or Friday (but I'm about 90% sure it'll be tomorrow). Take care! In the meantime, here are the auctions going now:

Sunday 6:25 pm 10-8-06

The new auction is ready, and will start in just a few minutes. I think it's a lovely set - I have a thing for neutrals, you know. Anyway, I'd love to sit and chat, but Steve's got our salmon dinner ready (he's a genius at barbecuing salmon, and it's fresh salmon that Lauren's fiancee caught). Bye for now, and here's the auction...

Tuesday 8:00 pm 9-12-06

Finally a new auction. One of my auctions anyway - my dad still has two days left for his paintings. I'm hoping there'll be some last-minute bidders because the paintings really are lovely.

Anyway, beads, beads, beads... The new auction in the purples and topaz colors is one of my all-time favorite color combos. I'm not sure why, it just does something to me. I find the warm and cool tones together a perfect fit for autumn. This time though, I added some of those yummy metallic dots for a little extra sparkle. Hope you like it.

That's about it for tonight - I'm going to go do some reading. I'm in the middle of a book that's hard to put down, so I'm going to take this opportunity now that all of my dishes are done and things are winding down here, to make some headway on the book. I'll check back in soon - have a great day, and here's the new auction...

Thursday 5:45 pm 9-7-06

Sorry, but I haven't had any chance at all to get to the torch. I've forgotten how insane the first week of school is. I can't wait to make some beads, so I'm hoping that Saturday will be my own personal "beadfest".

I have had a chance though to get a couple of my dad's paintings up for auction. I don't know how many watercolor enthusiasts are out there, but if you are, these two paintings will begin on ebay tonight at 6:00 pm and 6:15 pm Pacific (starting price: $200):

For those of you wondering - I'm not going to have his paintings up much under my ebay id. If they do well, I'll be setting them up with their own id, but for now, I'm just going to list it under my own. Thanks for your interest!

Labor Day, 3:45pm 9-4-06

It's official - My summer vacation has come to an end. I'm going back to the "day job" tomorrow, bright and early. I must say though, that I've packed a lot into the past couple of weeks, which is why I haven't been around here that much. Steve and I went back to Spokane for a while, and I've been busy doing other non-bead related things.

Speaking of which - My dad's art fair went really well. He sold some paintings, and we met some very nice and interesting folks. It was a very small fair, but those who looked at my dad's paintings raved about them. I took a fun picture of my mom and dad just as the fair was getting started, so I'll post it below.

Also, I'm going to be helping my folks put some of his paintings on ebay (I'm hoping for the auctions to start either tonight or tomorrow), so if you're a watercolor enthusiast, come back very soon to see what he'll have for sale!

Oh yeah - beads! School is starting this week, but I'm still going to try to get an auction out there. I have a bunch of custom orders to do as well, but I'm actually right on schedule with those, so I should be able to fit something in. :) I'd say give me a few days - maybe Thursday or Friday for the auction - THANKS!!!

Here's Mom and Dad at the fair:

Friday, 9:00am 8-25-06

The new auction's up and running, so please check it out. :) I'm getting ready for the arts and crafts show tomorrow (actually I'll be working at my dad's watercolor booth - come see me though if you can). Read below for more info on the show! And here's my new auction...

One of my "bead friends" came by last week for a torching session and was very thoughtful - she brought me some new glass - Thanks Kari! She was able to go to the Frantz Art Glass party (I was so bummed I couldn't make it) and picked up some brand new colors. Well, I was dying to try them out, so I made an auction that will start tonight using some of those colors (plus a few from my stash).

More importantly, I wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to be at an art fair this Saturday - but it won't be me that's selling. It's my dad!!!! Dad will be showing/selling his watercolor paintings at Gilman Village in Issaquah for an arts and crafts show between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. When he was younger, he went to the Burnley School of Art (now the Art Institute of Seattle) and was an excellent watercolorist. Well, he went to work for Boeing in the graphic arts department and had to put his watercolors on hold. Now, after forty years, he's painting again and is having the time of his life! So, if you love watercolors, or if you'd just like to stop by and say "hello", we'll be there!

I took a couple pictures of his paintings - just a sample of his work. His specialty is landscapes, lighthouses, beach scenes, etc., and below are paintings of La Connor, and Port Angeles, Washington.

Speaking of Dad, I was over at my folks today, and my mom gave me a picture that was recently taken of the three of us. Now... Wouldn't you love to own a painting from this handsome guy?

Don't forget to come back tonight to see my new bead auction - Bye for now! :)

Wednesday, 6:30 pm 8-16-06

Yay! The new auctions are up and running - hope you like them. I'm going to have a "bead friend" visit me tomorrow for a bit of a private lesson, so I need to go get my mandrels ready and get that mess of a desk straightened up so she can see what she's doing! :)

Be back soon!

PS - Dana Lunak has just been added to my "Designers' Corner". If you'd like to see how she used my beads, you can click on the link at the top of the screen - thanks!

Saturday, 10:15 am 7-30-06

Please bookmark my new web address: www.amytrescott.com - thank you!

I appreciate all fo the e-mails of concern - I've been totally MIA lately, but everything is fine. I've been concentrating on custom orders (but definetely will have a new auction Monday or Tuesday). But as far as updating here, I had to take time away from the computer. I've been dealing with labarynthitis (which causes indescribable dizziness) for six months which took a turn for the worse this summer. Coupled with Benign Positional Vertigo (due to the fall I took when I passed out and hit my head at the post office), I was miserable. Anyway, it seemed like using the computer made everything much, much worse, so I needed to take a break from it. Now, I'm incredibly happy to say that I think the labarynthitis is going away. I feel pretty close to "normal", and I couldn't be more relieved. I'm hoping that from now on, things will be back to the way my life used to be - fun, active, and healthy!

And on that note, if you have e-mailed me and I haven't responded yet, I will. I'm just starting to go through my e-mails from this past week - thanks for your understanding!

On the bead front, I'll have a new auction starting soon - it'll be a color combo that's supposed to be a hot combo for this fall. Also, as the custom orders keep coming in, that means my auctions won't be as often as they once were. My custom order clients get priority, auctions come in second. So if you're wondering why I don't have them as often anymore, it's because I'm busy with custom stuff. I don't anticipate that it will always be that way, but right now I'm fairly busy with the orders. Thanks a bunch for stopping by, and come back soon!

Wednesday, 3:30 pm 7-12-06

I've been out of town having fun, so if you e-mailed me and I haven't gotten back to you - that's why. I've been tring to keep up with the e-mail, but sometimes it's just really hard. Oh - that reminds me... If you ever e-mail me and I don't respond, please, please try again. I would never not answer someone on purpose. I get a ton of spam and have been known to accidentally delete some important e-mails. So please write me again.

Anyway, Steve, Lauren and I went to Spokane (where Steve's folks live) and had a fabulous vacation. It was hot (which I love), and we spent time hiking, playing pickleball, relaxing, picking strawberries and cherries, playing croquet - just lots of fun stuff! Maybe I'll put some pictures below of the trip.

Before I do though, I want you all to know that I have to focus on some custom orders for a while - I have a bunch that need to be done, so it'll be at least till next week before I'll have a chance to put an auction together. Please check back though! And without furtherer due, here are some pics from our trip...

That's me on the left playing pickleball with my niece Janelle on the right. It was the first time I've ever played (that I can remember), and I loved it! Steve's folks had the perfect driveway for a court and we all played every chance we had.

There's Lauren and Steve enjoying the 90+ degree day in the pickleball court.

Steve's family has a large property (we call it "The Mountain", because that's basically what it is) east of Spokane, and we were able to spend some time there hiking around. We're actually having a lot more fun that it looks in this picture! :)	Steve enjoyed the day so much, that he decided to stay up there overnight, and he took this gorgeous picture of Steptoe Butte in the summer evening.

This was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Right across the street from Steve's folks' house, a mom quail and her brand new babies were out for a walk. They couldn't have been over two inches tall!

So anyway, we had a great time. I was away from the torch for six days and made it through without any signs of withdrawl, but you can bet I'm back at the torch now! Anyway, that's all for now - I'll check in again later!

Thursday, 8:00 pm 6-29-06

I had a very, very weird and scary day today. I went to the post office to mail some beads, and passed out! The nice postal worker had taken my packages, was just finishing up putting all the labels on the envelopes and I started to feel really dizzy and nauseous. Next thing I knew, a very kind lady was standing over me asking me if I was okay. She said that I had fainted, hit my head hard on the tile floor and started having a seizure. So the medics came, the fire department came, and took me to the ER in an ambulance. The whole thing was so surreal. My blood pressure was 80/60 (which I know now is pretty common for someone who had passed out), and my heart rate was 85. I think (and so did the doc) the passing out is related to this vertigo thing I've been dealing with since January. Also, the doc said that I probably didn't have a classic "seizure" (thank goodness), but my body shook a bit due to lack of blood in the brain. He had a name for it, but heck if I can remember. Anyway, long story short, I'm okay - my head hurts like a !@#$ (with a big goose egg), but I'm otherwise "fine". And if you're one of my custom order clients, the answer is "yes", your beads were mailed out today! :)

Tomorrow... I'm taking it easy. :)

Wednesday, 3:00 pm 6-21-06

I am officially on SUMMER VACATION - Yahoo!!!

Today was the last day of school for me, so I now I have all summer to make beads, play, etc. It feels so good to be finished!

Hey - I have some exciting news! I have a new web address that you're all going to want to bookmark. This one's going to be much easier to remember: www.amytrescott.com I've had the Seametrix website for about seven years, so this is going to be quite a change for me. Seametrix is Steve's company, so I am a little nostalgic about the Seametrix.com thing, but as it goes, he's actually changing his web address too, so the timing seemed natural. I've heard a lot over the years that my web address was difficult to remember - people were often asking others what my web address is, so hopefully this will alleviate some of that confusion. I will be keeping the old address up for a while and am not sure when we'll just get rid of it, so you may want to change it soon to be on the safe side. :)

On that note, I'm off to get my hiney on the tread mill, and here's my most recent auction that I just listed yesterday...

Thursday, 6:30 am 6-15-06

COUNTDOWN to summer vacation: 6 Days!

Good morning! Just a quick stop in here to say that today my episode of That's Clever is showing on HGTV at noon today. On it, I mkae a small glass perfume bottle at the torch. Anyway, I look like a total goofball, but it's all in fun, right? Anyway, I'm off to get ready for work! Have a great day!

Tuesday, 7:30 pm 6-13-06

COUNTDOWN to summer vacation: 8 Days!

Once again, time has gotten the best of me. It's been over a week since I've posted here. I do have to say in my defense though, that this time of year is nuts for me. Most of you know that I do have a "day job" (speech therapy for the local school district), and I'm trying to get everything wrapped up for the end of the year. My last day will be next Wednesday, and I can't wait!!! I mean, I love my work, but I have a serious case of "short-term-itis". Its funny - when I was a kid I had no idea that teachers would look forward to summer break as much as the students, but here I am. I'm just constantly thinking of all of the things I'll be able to do. Most importantly, I'll have one private practice client for speech therapy, but that will only be four hours a week. The rest of my time is set aside for

Making beads Relaxing Taking trips (note that this doesn't necessarily fall under #2) Working in my yard and the one thing I really can't wait for... Not having to get up at 5:00 in the morning to run!!!

I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but I've actually lost 25 pounds in the last five months. I did it by getting my butt out of bed to run on the treadmill for an hour every day. I don't think I was fat (or really even chubby), I was just really out of shape, and, um... soft. Everywhere. :) So now I'm totally addicted to the treadmill, and am just looking forward to getting up at a reasonable hour to do it!

As for beads lately (man, I'm long-winded today)... I really have had to focus on custom orders because I had a ton. And when I have people waiting patiently for their beads, auctions have to be put on the back-burner. Now, I'm pretty close to caught up, so I'm planning to have an auction up by either Saturday or Sunday. Please come back to see it! Tell me you all haven't completely given up on me. I'm still here, and will be checking in much more often now - I promise! :)

On that note - I hope all's well with everyone. Thanks to all who wrote to make sure I was still alive! :)

Oh! And if you want to watch me make a total dork of myself, my episode of "That's Clever" will be shown on HGTV this Thursday, June 15th at noon and 5:00. I haven't seen it since they took the footage from "Crafter's Coast to Coast" and turned it into "That's Clever", so I have no idea if it's the exact same show or if they switched it up a bit. Either way, you'll get to see me act like an über-nerd. Sounds like fun, right? :)

Sunday, 6:45 pm 5-28-06

They're up and running! I'd love to stay and chat, but all of a sudden I've got the urge to paint my toenails. :) Hope you like the auctions!

Saturday, 7:00 pm 5-27-06

I have a new auction that will be starting either tomorrow or Monday, depending on what I end up doing tomorrow. It's really a beauty (if I do say so). I guess I mean that I love the color combination. It's one I haven't ever done before, but one that I'm so taken with, that I've made myself some beads and am having Vicki Walker (of www.wiremania.com) make me some jewelry with them. I can't WAIT to see what she does with them. Her jewelry's so fantastic. I will try to get the auction ready, but we've got a lot going on around here. After making beads today, I went to go see what Steve had been up to, and he had torn out our whole master bathroom - shower and all. So, we'll see. But... I'm so excited about this auction, I do want to get it out there!

Last night, Steve, Lauren and I watched "The Smartest Guy in the Room" - a documentary about the Enron collapse. Lauren had seen it in one of her business classes and thought it was worth seeing again, so we rented it. It was a really good movie - if you like documentaries, you should see it. Tonight's going to much lighter. I think we'll be watching "Fun with Dick and Jane" (also a bit of a spoof on Enron from what I've heard), so that'll be fun.

So anyway, please check back tomorrow to see if the auction's started! Have a great night!

Wednesday, 9:30 pm 5-24-06

Lots happening today. After the day job, I found a little bit of time to play at the torch, doing both a little experimenting and working on custom orders. I'm going to start a new auction, hopefully within the next couple of days that will feature a brand new style of focal bead. And I mean, it is very different from my normal work, so we'll have to see if I find the guts to list it. :)

Also, I found out that there was an article written about my Braille Beads (I knew that it was going to be written, but wasn't sure when, etc.) in a newsletter of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. The name of their newspaper is "Aurora", and the article was very kind and generous. I had made some beads for a very nice woman there who made a lovely necklace for her friend who is blind. Well, somehow, word got around about it and next thing you know, they wanted to write an article about it! I added the article to my "media" section, but if you'd like to read it, you can click on the pic here:

I guess that's it for now - work is giong great, I fell much better (you don't e-v-e-r want to get an inner ear infection, especially if you have a weak stomach), and beads are being made. What more could a girl ask for? :) I'll be back soon! Take care!

Tuesday, 4:00 pm 5-23-06

Well, I feel much, much better. I'm still dizzy now and then, but it's nothing like it was this weekend. I mean literally, everything was spinning - spinning so fast, I couldn't even tell in which direction. It was the weirdest thing. And, it gave me the sickest feeling. I'm so glad it didn't last very long.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd take a couple pictures of an iris that was given to me by my mom-in-law this past summer. I planted it, and I'm just amazed at how quickly it grew and how gorgeous it is. It's the first time I've ever had an iris, and I think it's my new favorite flower. I swear - it was like one day, it looked like a long green stem, and the next day, these amazing vivid purple flowers exploded out of it. It's huge, too. I'd say about four feet tall! Anyway, I'll post a couple of pics below for you garden-lovers out there. :)

And for the bead lovers, here's my newest auction (which will end on Friday)...

Click the pic below to order the 2007 Glass Art Calendar (I'm February)! I have one left before I'll need to order more, so buy one now if you'd like one very soon. Otherwise, it's probably going to be a couple of weeks. Feel free to keep placing orders - THANKS!

Tuesday, 8:00 pm 5-16-06

Well, we just got back from Missoula, Montana where Lauren graduated from college over the weekend! It was a fabulous weekend. The weather was perfect, graduation was very special, and Lauren's boss (and friend) threw her a going away party that anyone would be envious of. The whole party - from the food, to the drinks, to the decorations, to the scenery from their lovely home was just perfect. Steve and I feel really blessed that she was able to find such wonderful people over there. There must have been at least 50 people there to give her a proper congratulations and send-off, and it was the ultimate way to say good-bye. After a long car trip, we all arrived home late last night and spent today recouperating. Poor Lauren has a ton to unpack here. But, she's very glad to be home.

On the bead front, I do have a few orders that I need to take care of before I start on another auction. So, I'm hoping there will be a new one up by, oh, say Sunday. I'm even planning to make some beads for myself!

I received the calenders, so if you pre-ordered one, you should be receiving it shortly. Or, if you've been waiting till I had them in my hands before ordering, you can go ahead. :) I have them, and I only have a few that haven't been spoken for, so you'll want to move quickly! Click on the pic below for more info or to order - thanks!

Friday, 6:30 pm 5-5-06

I am so thankful it's Friday. I don't know what my deal is, but I've just been beat. There's lots to do this weekend, but I'm just glad I don't have to figure work into the equation. Maybe I'll watch a good movie too. That sounds nice. :)

Anyway, here's a pic of the auction, and of course, if you click on it, it'll take you right to it. Have a great Friday night!

Thursday, 8:45 pm 5-4-06

Yahoo! The auction is on! Come back and check it out tomorrow!

The weather has been so beautiful here lately, it's been hard to justify time at the torch, but when there are auctions to be made and orders to be filled, it must be done! Good thing I love doing it! That actually should say something about how much I enjoy glass. Choosing between napping outside on the hammock on a sunny and 73-degree day, or sitting behind a torch should be a no-brainer, but when there's glass involved... it's not an easy choice. Anyway, I'm glad I chose the torch today because the beads that I made that will be added to the auction were totally worth skipping out on the sunshine.

It's May, and I just got two new students! Well actually one I had worked with last year who switched schools, and one brand-new one. They're just the sweetest kids, so it should be a great end to the school year. The only thing is that they're in a school that I don't already serve, and it's waaaaaaayyyyyyy on the other side of Seattle. Today, driving from one school to the other was 18 miles. 18 miles worth of $3.00 per gallon gasoline - ouch! I will get reimbursed, but cripes. Not to mention it takes about a half an hour to get from the one school to the other. I was so frazzled by the time I arrived to my last school (thanks to the lunch-rush traffic), I felt like I'd been through the ringer.

On a real positive note, the calenders are on their way as we speak, so if you've ordered one, they will be coming soon. And, if you haven't ordered one yet, what are you waiting for??? :) (scroll down for ordering info, or e-mail me with any questions)

Make sure you come back tomorrow to see the new auction - Bye!

Wednesday, 9:50 pm 5-3-06

So the scoop on the auction is that I almost made enough for an auction today, but I'd like to add a few more beads. So I'm planning on finishing it tomorrow so that it will be ready to go Friday. But, as things have been lately, I figured I'd better say "Fiday or Saturday" just in case something weird and unexpected comes up. The good news is, I think you're going to like the auction. It's been a while since I've made something this bright and playful.

I made the page about Peg's party, so if you'd like to read about the fun, click on the picture of Peg! :)

So check back soon about that auction - I'll update tomorrow to let you all know if it'll start Friday or Saturday. Good night!

Tuesday, 8:15 pm 5-2-06

Mercy, I've been neglectful here lately. The truth is, I've been incredibly busy. Everything's fine, (thanks to those who were concerned I'd fallen of the face of the earth), and it's just that time of year I guess. Everything's happening at once, and time to make auctions and check in here has been scarce. But, on a positive note, I will have a new auction coming in the next few days, and it's going to be ultra-bright, and super-fun!

This past Saturday, Peg had one of her famous lampwork challenge parties. She gives us challenges to do, and we report back with the results at the next party. We have the parties every three months or so, and they're a whole lot of fun. Anyway, I took a lot of fun pictures at the party, and have started a web page so that you can see for yourself how great it is to have a lady like Peg around. I hope to have that finished by tomorrow night, so please check back! :)

Well, I better motor - still lots to do tonight! I'll be back soon!!!

Saturday, 7:15 pm 4-22-06

What a nice day we had here today. Like I planned, we spent all day outside doing yard work (and boy, did it need it). Tomorrow's supposed to be even warmer (mid to upper 60's), so I'm hoping that my back won't be as sore tomorrow as it is right now, because I'd like to tackle the backyard. If it's too sore, then darn it, I'll just have to take it easy and maybe read a book outside or something. :)

The new auction's up and running. Like I said earlier, I love the neutral colors - it's unusual to see these tones this time of year, but I'm totally into it. I'm really a neutal-kind-of-gal, so I feel like I'm in my element! Hope you like them too. :) Here they are...

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