Sad News

I know I have not posted in a long time. My Mother passed away on November 22 and her Memorial service was December 1 which would have been her 83rd Birthday. In the previous post, I mentioned that she fell and broke her hip. After having a partial hip replacement she was recovering nicely and then a staph infection showed up. They went back in, removed the prosthesis and left it out. The infection turned out to be a MRSA and even with multiple IV antibiotics, her body could not recover. It is tragic but I know she is in a better place and will not have to suffer any more. My Aunt and Uncle continue to have major health issues as well. My Dad ended up in the ER two days ago but it was stress related. He has been ordered to not do any more care giving for at least three months.

My art will have to be put on the back burner for a little longer as I help my Dad get things in order. My torch will still be there when I am ready but I also have to take care of myself during this grieving period too. Thank you to all who have continued to pray for us. We could not have survived without your prayers and support.

REVISED FALL SHOW SCHEDULE

My family is in a medical crisis at the moment. My Father's only Brother had major surgery and five days later my Mother fell and broke her hip. They are both in their 80's and require around the clock care. My Mother's only Nephew had Heart Bypass yesterday. I won't be doing the Market Street Show October 4th or the Trunk Show this weekend. I probably won't be doing any shows in October unless things drastically improve. Wish us speedy recoveries!

HURRICANE COMING!!!!

The trunk show this weekend has been canceled due to Hurricane Ike. This is a big storm and they are comparing it to Carla which I remember as a child. I have brought all the plants in and tied up the furniture. We are staying put and hopefully we won't have major damage. We could loose power so I am unplugging my computer as it gets closer.

Stay safe!!!

Fall is coming!

The past two mornings it has been in the high 60's and I can tell that the weather is finally changing. I can't believe another week has flown by and I have lots of shows to get ready for. I have been making more leaves and there will be a tutorial on my leaves in the upcoming HSGB Newsletter. Have a great weekend!

Whoever dies with the most wins!

Do you think I have enough beads? Yes, I made everyone of them and there is another shoe box full that I didn't even get to. I ran out of jewelry trays. Why is it that when I start getting ready for shows that I don't feel like I have enough beads made? If you have the answer, please let me know.

Color Choices

My color choices seem to go in phases. I tend to gravitate towards the earthy shades first. I love greens and shades of turquoise. This bead didn't turn out the way I planned but I like it anyway. I am going to take a group photograph of all the beads that are going with me to the upcoming trunk shows. I am not sure I can get them all in one shot but this should be interesting.

Upcoming Shows

Fall is right around the corner which translates into "busy". My ISGB chapter is doing lots of Trunk Shows at the local bead stores which are great fun. The Market Street Fine Art Show is the only outdoor show that I am participating in. The weather is always risky so hopefully it will not rain this year on that date. I am among the featured artists for the month of November at the Potter's Guild Shop and Gallery. We will be in our new location by then and I will send out an announcement when we move. Here is a schedule of upcoming events. Have a great week!

Antique Keys

My friend went to Canton and I asked her to pick up some skeleton keys for me. I now wish I had requested more. I am sure this is a trend but I think these would look great in numerous ways. I need to go antique shopping!

My first trunk show of the season is Saturday Auguest 20! Look for details tomorrow.

I wish I could sleep like this

My next door neighbor's kitty sleeps in the strangest places. He has wedged himself up next to the brick wall on the front porch and didn't even wake up when I opened the door. He is the sweetest cat and I brush him everyday to keep that long hair tangle free.

Silver

Silver reacts with glass and you never know exactly what you are going to get. I had to order some more and I hope I don't run out before it arrives. Lately, I can't seem to make a bead without picking up the fine silver. This bead is hard to photograph due to the iridescence from the silver but I hope I have captured some of it. Have a great weekend!

Something New!

I have had this idea in my head for quite a while and finally put it together. About 3 years ago, I took a PMC class and made the silver pendant. It was a fun class but I decided that I would stick with the glass and let others do the PMC. This is fun to wear because it makes little jingling noises when you move it around.

Gearing up for Fall

This time of year always creeps up on me and I start to feel panicked if I don't have a lot of work ready for Fall show season. Last week my son was here having his wisdom teeth extracted and I am glad we have that behind us. I missed a good photo shoot opportunity but I don't think he would have approved.

This is the beginning of more to come. I will post the show dates soon.

Monday

I am not sure what happened to the weekend but I did manage to get one bead made that I actually like. We are expecting a tropical storm to hit tomorrow so hopefully all we will get is the much needed rain and temperatures below 100 degrees.

What was I thinking?

Experimenting in glass is the way that I have learned what I know today. Sometimes they turn out fabulous and other times they turn out like this. This is a cab and not a bead and designed with a specific idea in mind for my friend the wonderful metalsmith. I think the concept has potential but this one is not going anywhere.
On the other hand, I have been playing around with a tutorial that a generous bead artist published and you would never know these were even the same type of bead because I put my spin on them. I am very happy with these.

Computers

My modem decided that for some unknown reason, it wasn't going to talk to my Internet Provider anymore. There is nothing more frustrating to me than a computer that does not work because unfortunately, I don't know how to fix it. My dear brother walked me through some diagnostic tests and that didn't work either. I finally had to call my provider and they were able to figure out what the problem was and get it going again by resetting something. All I knew was that for over 24 hours, I was without internet. It goes to show how much I depend on everything working the way it is supposed to work.

Enough of that, I have new beads and cabs! Torching in 100 degree heat is no fun but I do it in short spurts. Hopefully, there will be more beads later in the week.

Challenge

My bead group has challenges monthly and a themed Newsletter that is very informative. The theme for the next Newsletter is "The Dog Days of Summer". It was 100 degrees here yesterday so I think that qualifies. I made a dog bead inspired by my friend's sweet dog. The mismatched ears were on purpose because that is the way her ears really look!

Three Colors

Glass is amazing and that is why I don't think I will ever get tired of exploring. This bead only has three colors of regular Moretti glass. Can you guess what they are???

New Favorites

Thank you for coming to our opening of the new VanJan Collection! It will stay in place at the Houston Potter's Guild Shop through the rest of July.

This is a new set that I am very happy with. I used more shards from Janet's Glass on Etsy and I love the reaction with the silver on these beads. I actually made an entire set in one sitting which hardly ever happens.

Stay cool!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

New beads! I also have new cabs for my jewelry partner Vanessa. I can't wait to see what she does with them. Our new line of jewelry is called VanJan . We will be showing our collaborative work throughout July at the Houston Potter's Guild Shop and Gallery. Stop by if you are in the area.

July Show

During the month of July, Vanessa Parker and I are showing our collaborative work at the Houston Potter's Guild Shop and Gallery. We will have an open house with a drawing for a free necklace on July 12. Please stop by and take a look at our new work.

New Direction

I felt the need to take a small break from beadmaking and do something else creative. If I am having trouble getting the ideas to flow in glass, if I attempt to do something completely different it helps to get me back on track. I made this collage painting on watercolor paper and then cut it up to make cards out of. It actually turned out pretty well. The hardest part is putting the first stroke of paint down. More soon!

Silver Cored Beads

My bead group purchased a Retro Bead Liner and I got to bring it home to do a tutorial. It is much harder to use than I thought but these are the results of my first sterling silver lined beads. I had to complete them using dapping punches and a chasing hammer but I think they look pretty good for my first ones. I don't think I will be making too many of these because it is hard on my hands. I actually have to borrow my husband's hands to turn the wheel. We are also going to purchase the Jim Moore Bead Liner and I hope that one is easier to use.

Inspiration

It is so hot this time of year that I have a hard time motivating myself to sit in front of a flaming torch. The plants start begging for water and shade but there are a few that love the heat. This hibiscus blooms in different colors. It must have been grafted but it is fun to see what color will bloom on a certain day. I have not had all three colors blooming at the same time but hopefully that will happen sometime during our long summers. Stay cool and I will have bead photos soon.

Green Thumb

With the tomato scare this summer, I appreciate my Dad's green thumb even more. There is nothing like a big juicy home grown tomato. He can grow just about anything but the deer eat most of it. They were on the property before he was so he fences off a few vegetable plants and they are free to munch on the rest. I managed to get this shot while I was there. She is chomping away in a round garden bed with a bird bath right next to her.

St. Luke's Methodist Church

Two more weeks and the St. Luke's Show will end. Vanessa has worked very hard getting all the jewelry ready for this show and it looks great. I am very pleased with our collaborative work and I love what she has done with my glass. Come by and take a look if you are in the area. Attached is the postcard that Vanessa designed.

Rings

I only have one mandrel large enough for a ring and the ring is probably a size 5-6. My daughter wears the first one that I made and requested another one. I am happy to oblige as it gives me an excuse to practice using that big mandrel. They are heavy and I only have one but here it is. She likes it.

June Beads of Courage

Where did May go? Every month, my bead chapter collects beads for the Beads of Courage Program. I mail them into BOC for them to distribute to the member hospitals. I normally don't make bright beads but these were fun and gave me an opportunity to practice layered dots as well. I just grab whatever bright color is on my bench and start layering. Most of the time I forget what color I started with by the time I get to the last layer. Stay cool!

Collaborative Work

Vanessa Parker is a very talented Jewelry Artist. We have been working on some collaborative items for an upcoming show. Vanessa is the Artist of the Month at St. Luke's United Methodist Church on Westheimer and the show starts Sunday so drop by if you are in the area. There are three cases of Vanessa's jewelry that will be located in the Rotunda Art Gallery during June. This is an example of a bracelet that she made using my beads. I love what she has done! I also made some cabs for her as shown in the pendant. Look here to see more of our collaborative work: http://www.betojdesigns.com/page11/page9/page9.html

Summer is Here!

We went from Spring straight to Summer! It was 95 one day this week and today's predicted high is 93. I have been doing lots of bead crochet when I am not constructing jewelry. Here are a few photos of beads with the coordinating ropes.

Happy Mother's Day!

I am back to making beads again after a whirlwind session of jewelry making. It is hard to capture the depth of this bead but it has many layers. I have not made raised florals in a while and they take some preparation because of all the canes that have to be made in advance.
I hope all the Moms out there have a great day!