Finally Friday!

Well folks its finally Friday!  It seems like Friday always takes forever to get here and then when you get a few days off they seem to fly by!  Does anyone else feel that way or is it just me?

Anyways I had started working on the bracelet from Beaded Fantasies but had to put it down yesterday morning to pick up work on a custom order.  I started working on the order back in the fall and then Christmas rolled around, New Years, and then honestly I just lost track of time.  I started working on it again yesterday and have one flower left to make. Once I finish it I can then make the necklace and get it all put together.  I am hoping to finish it up by the first of the week and get it off my desk.  It feels so good to get a big project like this one finished. Here's a peek at whats on my bead mat....

A Picture is worth a thousand words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  The only thing I wish is that colors would show up as good to make people really see how pretty a piece of jewelry really is or can be.  Kim and I started working on the first bracelet from Sabine's new book.  You use 8mm Chaton and encase them with 3mm's and seeds.  Once you make the first component and see how it's made, you seem to fly thought the bracelet.  I only got 4 of mine finished before I had to stop and work on a custom order.  I am trying to start using my time a little wiser so that hopefully I can get more done...but who knows. 

 Anyways the colors of my bracelet are

8mm chaton - Amethyst

Size 15 Seed Bead - Silver Lined Gold

Size 11 Seed Bead - Silver Lined Amethyst

3mm Bicones - Thunder Polish Purple Light

I will try to get Kim to send me a picture of hers so that you can see her colors.  She is doing hers in champagne and aqua.  It was really pretty when she was working on it today.

Wanted....Life Planner!

On a day to day my life is crazy.  There seems like there is always too much to do and not enough time to do it in.  I feel like I need a life planner.  Someone who can tell me what to do, for how long, and when.  I feel that if I had a little more discipline that I could get so much more done.  I have custom jewelry orders to finish, videos to make, classes to teach, and much more.  And to add to the list...today I got my new book Beaded Fantasies by Sabine Lippert.  To say that it is a good book is an understatement. I literally want to make almost every single project in the book.  It is fantastic!  I am a huge fan of Sabine's work on etsy. I also follow her blog and her website.  I have been waiting on this book to arrive for months.  When they came in today I called my best friend Kim and she came to the shop and we just drooled over the projects.  We decided to work through the whole book and make all the projects.  Lets just say that it's a challenge between the two of us. 

We have decided to start on page 45 which is the La Fleur Bracelet.  I am doing mine in Amethyst and Kim is going to do hers in Champagne and Aqua.  Looks like I just added another log onto the fire but this is going to be so much fun and the samples will look great on my wrist/neck and in the shop!  If you get a chance be sure and get a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed!

Birthday

Yesterday was my 31st Birthday.  It was wonderful.  For my birthday I bought myself a new Kindle Fire.  I already own a kindle but I wanted the kindle fire because it is smaller than my original Kindle and it has a color screen so I could look at magazines.  I started reading a new book on it and LOVE it. 
My hubby got me a really pretty pink and orange case for it.

I had to go to the Orthodontist today and I just threw that little thing in my purse and read while I was in the chair waiting for the dentist.  It was delightful.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

One of my regular weekly customers came in this week and we worked on a necklace for her Grand Daughters Wedding.  The necklaces will be for the bridesmaids.  There dress are a light gold color and I think the necklace will look fantastic with the dresses. The decision we are faced with though is to put a pendant with it or not. She was thinking of having her Maid of Honor wear one with a pendant and the others wear one without. Once I made the pendant and we put it up with the necklace I thought it looked fantastic!  I really think it brings a great element to the necklace.  The customer is going to take it and show it to her grand daughter this week so I guess we'll see what she pics. I didn't permanently attach the pendant in case she didn't like it.

Finally Finished

Well I finally finished the Fifty Shades of Grey Triology tonight.  It was really good but I was really disappointed with third book. I guess it just seemed hurried.  But with that finished I can now get back to life as I know it.  I worked on the video for next week and here's a sneek peek at what's to come.

Prom Jewelry in full force!

We have 3 public high schools in our town and one of them is having there prom this week. I have worked all day getting one set done.  The girls dress is beautiful and is all colors of purple.  I thought these pieces came out lovely.  Just hopes she likes them. Onto the next set.....

Lazy

The last few days I have felt really lazy.  I haven't wanted to do much so I have been reading a new book by E. L. James called Fifty Shades of Grey.

I started out by reading the first book of the trilogy and I was hooked. The first books is RACY!  I don't know how many times I blushed but as I went on into the next book I was hooked.  I am now on the third book and theres no telling what time I'll actually get in the bed tonight.  I love to read but when I start a book I'm hooked and can't put it down.  Myself and a few friends are thinking about starting a book club so that we can get together and talk about all the great books were reading.  I kind of excited!

New Pattern

I love days when I feel like I have gotten a lot done.  Today was not one of those days!  I spent literally the whole day working writing a new pattern for a class I'm teaching at the end of the month.  I started writing the pattern last night and was working on making the brown pendant.  I was trying to take pictures and they are were terrible!  So, I worked today making the fuchsia and green pendant and testing the pattern. I finally got it finished just a few minutes ago so I thought I would share pictures of the 3 pendants I've got made so far.  I'm going to work on a video for this project on Friday so I'll try to post pictures of the new colors later in the week.

Easter 2012

A few weeks ago I showed you guys the necklace I made for my Easter outfit.  I wanted to show you how great the necklace looked with the outfit. The following pictures were taken on Easter Sunday.  The bottom picture is of my Mom, Dad, Sammy, and I.  It was beautiful in the Carolinas Sunday and was a great day for pics. 

Normal

I feel like for the first time in over a week life has gotten back to normal.  The last week of March Sammy and I went to the beach for a few days off before our busy summer months.  It was so nice and restful!  It was great just to get away for a few days and work on some things that I wanted to make for myself.  We came home and I had my braces put on Tuesday.  It feels like it has been down hill ever since.  My teeth have hurt so badly this week!  I now feel for anyone who has ever worn or will ever wear braces because they are not fun!  I hope that after 2 years I will be able to look back and say that it was all worth it but right now I'm not so sure.  After almost a week I'm still on soft foods and am going to have to figure out something else to eat before I get sick of mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese!

Today was the first day though that I felt like I was back in a normal schedule. Got up and did my normal routine and got the video made for this week so I'm hoping things will only go up from here.

Have you seen the April 2012 issue of InStyle Magazine Yet? I normally don't get InStyle but I was in the checkout the other day while at the beach and It caught my eye because it said that it was the "Color" issue.  It defiantly is a color issue!  Everything is beautiful bold bright colors!  The one thing that I was psyched about though it the fact that they have these great "cheat" cards in them  that tell you what colors look good with one base color. For example, the first color card you come to shows you what colors to wear with Neutral Gray. This not only applies to clothes but I thought that it was great for beading too!  There are about 5 or 6 color cards in the book but the book is busting with color inspiration.  Great jewelry to look at too!  If you haven't gotten the issue yet then be sure and pick one up because it has a lot of really neat stuff in it.

Earlier today I worked on the video for this week.  For this week's technique I will be teaching how to do Russian Spiral Stitch.  It is one of those basic techniques that all beaders need to know.  Sammy will have it on the site by late tomorrow so be sure and check it out at www.youtube.com/user/offthebeadedpath