"You there, what day is it?"

Feeling a little discombobulated.  So apparently it's 2012.  OK.  We have been house hunting for over a year now and it's like a part time job with us.  Needless to say this have left no room for any creativity, a social life, or friends.  Friends?  Who are they?  I dream of a propper craft room.  One with an island in the middle so that I can work on and sew, or make jewelry on.  I dream of the colors on the walls and how the room will inspire me to do more work.  I dream.  The reality is we've seen crap house after crap house, after crap house and you wouldn't know it by the prices but apparently the housing market is in the shitter?!!  REALLY???  Can someone tell the sellers to stop drinking the Kool Aid?  We saw a new low a couple of weekends ago.  You can light as many Yankee Candles as you like Ms. Real Estate lady but nothing is going to get out the 20 years of smoke or the smell of decomp. out of your carpets....oh wait here's the kitchen.  Clearly something was slaughtered in here because of the splatter marks on the cabinets and wall.  Sacrifice a lamb recently?  Must have put up a bit of a fight seeing as it may have knocked out some of the fronts of the cabinet drawers!!  OK, fine.  We move to the basement and immediately shove our noses into our elbows.  I was done, but husband was curious to see what else was down here like he was on a National Geographic show or something.  Basement rec room on one side with an undressed mattress on the floor and clothes strewn about everywhere.  Floors peeling, walls falling apart and finally I got him to leave the house with me.  You would think they were giving this house away instead of asking mid 3's.  Husband says "wow this replaces the old lady house for sure.  And what was up with the rape den?"  So when I tell people it's taken us over a year so far I get the sympathy nod, and the "ya, it took us two" TWO??  Two years to find a house???  Needless to say, I drink more now.  Trying to be positive but it's very difficult to think we will find a house that suits our needs.  Let's hope 2012 brings us luck and a new house and as a result more jewelry for you!!

Finally...

OK, so here are some pictures I've finally taken of the pieces I have so far.  They aren't the best pics but you can see what they are.  Some are works in progress and some I'm awaiting feedback and some just sell before I get a chance to figure out either of those things.  I guess they work, what do I know.  As an artist I think you constantly second guess yourself a quality that annoys most people.  Not sure how to shake that off.  I once worked with an actor who said "we're always looking for that 'atta boy' and he's right.  Artistically I'm looking for my "atta boy" but as a woman I'm quite confident in who I am and what I offer my friends and family.  Not sure why the two haven't met yet...

and of course the necklaces that started this whole thing of actually selling them to people.... the Disco Ball Necklace.

Whatcha think?

Too much?

So, I went back home for a week which never seems like enough time.  My sister took the week off so we could spend some quality time together, which sort of didn't happen so much.  We ran from here to there, picking up this and that and before I knew it I was paking my things to go home.  Didn't really see any friends and for the most part didn't hang out too much with my parents either it was a whirlwind of a week that seemed like only a day or two.

One thing I did manage to do was pick up some beads from the bead store.  The bead store has two sides, one side is all the silver plated, seed beads, plastic, glass, resin, wood bead side an then there is the semi precious, Sworovsky, sterling silver (which went up in $), gold side.  That's where my melt down happened.  OK, when I say "meltdown" I don't actually mean a true "I'm two and three quarters old and I need that Iron Man action figurine" sort of melt down, I simply mean "I"m 38 3/4 old and I need that color tiger eye which I can't believe you don't have" kind of melt down.  I may have swore.  Maybe.  I may have said "What do I do NOW?"  Maybe.  Fine, I did, but you have to understand this particular necklace I need to make is the one that got snapped up before I could decide if I wanted to keep it.  Not only that but I've been asked by others for this one particular one.  So you see the melt down was somewhat justified.  Somewhat.

So I started to pack my things and I'm a terrible packer, my sister is a champ at it and so she had to help me with my spoils from the bead store.  We discovered that if I had put all my beads in my luggage I would be over the 25 Lbs limit for international weight so I figured it would be best to put them in my carryon. 
I believe I broke several blood vessels in my shoulder by the time I got back to Boston. 
I poured out my spoils from this trip onto the couch and thougth..."I think I could have gotten more.."
I haven't a clue as to where I would have put it but I'm sure I could have purchased just a few more things.

What?  Too much?

Also, got the business cards finally.  A giant THANK YOU to my husband who helped create them. 

For the love of all things good and green!!!

OK, remember how I stated before that I'm a Gemini and how my interests varied?  Well let me give you a good example.  Today I had a cup of coffee, started a bracelet, looked for pastry bags on Amazon, opened the cake book to the recipe I wanted and started to clean the bathroom and started this post and  this was just this morning.  You see what I mean?  I am a productive procrastinator.  Some might say A.D.D. but I call it procrastination.  Active though it may be, nothing fully gets done.  Oh and I'm sewing a doll, did I mention that?
My better half says that when I focus I really get things done, but I beg to differ.  I don't know what focus is anymore, I used to be able to focus, now I focus on everything.  That's not focus.  I'm trying to make French macaroons and my piping skills lack something to be desired.  I haven't painted anything in a while.  I digress.  What were we talking about?  Oh yes procrastination.  I don't know if there is a pill to cure all but I do know that a lot of little things get done.  Laundry, some, baking, some, cleaning, some.  And then I pile everything into my office/craft room/laundry room and pray that someone somewhere hears my prayer for a professional organizer.  I've asked that as a present for my birthday every year and I don't think anyone takes me seriously.  Maybe in the new house...did I mention we were looking for a house?

Shoot me.

What have I started...?

So I've been making my own jewelry for quite some time now, I'd say about 12 years. 

Since starting my new job 3 years ago I've often been asked "where'd you get that?" or "what a great necklace, you always have such nice jewelry".  It was until much later did I actually start telling people that I made it.  Not sure why I didn't in the first place, but there you have it I MADE IT!  I suppose that's some sort of affirmation, the caps thing.  Anyway, I am starting a little hobby business now and it's fun to see people get excited about it.  When I bring in a new piece all the ladies gather at my desk to see what it looks like.  I like things that are a bit more bold, and some things that pay tribute to a time gone by, but mostly I just want to feel pretty.

This one I call the Disco Ball Necklace I make them in different colors.

This I call the June Cleaver...for obvious reasons

Disco in Clear, Black and Silver

I  made this out of desperation, needed something that would go with everything.  All monochromatic clear and milky beads.