Power Tools Gone Wild

I am getting into a daily routine and enjoying every aspect of it.  After getting the kids off to school, I spend the first 30 minutes to an hour cleaning out bead holes with my dremel.  I try to finish up by 8:30, but if they're not all done I let them soak in the sink while I head into my studio to melt glass for an hour.  But this morning was a little different.

After ten minutes of dremeling (yes, I made that into a verb.  and I also sing to myself "Here I Go a Dremeling, a Dremeling I Go" to the tune of a Christmas carol.  and yes, I know I'm a dork.) it sped up for a moment and made a high pitched noise (more so than the normal high pitched dremel noise).  I turned it off, checked out the tightness of the bit in the tip and then went back to cleaning beads for another ten minutes.  And that's when my dremel went AWOL and sent itself into hyperdrive.  It wouldn't turn off and the speed could not be adjusted with the dial.

I haven't ever had a power tool misbehave like this, so I did the only sensible thing I could do.  I walked out the front door with my hyperdrive dremel in hand and marched myself over to my neighbor's house.  He is a power tool king and also has extra power tool knowledge through the osmosis of working at Home Depot part time.  He had never seen a power tool do this, either.  And so in the end, after it wouldn't shut off and had started smoking, my poor dremel was beaten to death on the cement sidewalk until it stopped whirring.  It lived a good life, but apparently two years is the limit for these little hand held rechargeable devices.  Sniff.

Now that I am back from Home Depot with a new replacement, the remaining beads have been cleaned.  I am sticking to fall colors this week in the hopes it will help get me more excited about Autumn as I say goodbye to my favorite season.

The kiln is now full with over another fifty beads from sitting in front of my torch today.  I will be busy tomorrow cleaning, photographing, blogging and listing so everything is ready before the next shop update in a little more than 24 hours.

Seventy Beads!

Came out of the kiln last night.  Holy cow that's a lotta beads to clean!

This isn't all of them.  I pulled some of each kind to put into my extras box because I occasionally put in an extra little bead or two with orders when I ship them out to folks.  

I think I made close to another 70 beads today.  I'm quite industrious this week.  A fire was lit under my feet this past weekend to get things done and I'm not slowing down.  I think after weeks months of being demotivated to do very little because it took so long to decide what to do with my job that now I'm playing catch up on so many things I SHOULD have been doing.  Cleaning baseboards and decluttering closets is in there with all of the beads I missed out on making for so long.

Happy Monday!

This was another weekend of celebrations for us.  Besides disbelieving we just hit our 11th anniversary and have been together for thirteen years, we also celebrated our youngling turning seven years old.  Apparently you wear your pants on your head when you turn seven.

She chose carrot cake for her candle holder and I made a double decker of it in a heart shape for her.  I'm not sure what she wished for and will have to ask her later.  I'm betting it was not anywhere close to her brother's wish last weekend to not be aggravated the rest of the birthday by his little sister.

So many wonderful folks scooped up the batches of eggs last week that now there are only six sets left in the shop.  If you like any of the colors schemes, go grab them now.  Tomorrow they will be pulled from the shop to be re-arranged. 

Kids are off to school and the animals have been fed.  Even though there is a dishwasher full of clean dishes waiting to be put away, it will wait some more.  I'm running off to my torch.  I was so enchanted last week with the the transparent speckles on eggs that I feel the need to make some sets of rounds that could coordinate with the eggs or be just as great on their own.

I hope you have a fabulous week!

Happy Friday or Happy Anniversary

There are several sets of eggs flying out of the shop, some as far as to Alaska!

I won't be on the torch until Monday, when the kids return to school after their week off for fall break this week.  We had fun together and visited the public library multiple times.  The girl child started picking out books from the 3rd grade level, even though she is only in the 1st grade.  She is always so determined to do what her brother does.  It's not just reading, but also in throwing and catching baseballs and footballs.  That same girl child is turning seven years old this weekend.

Today is my 11th wedding anniversary.  I am continually amazed at how time flies, seemingly passing me by.  My memory is like a sieve and has forgotten more things than I like or would like to admit.  I do remember it was my smart mouth that caught the attention of my honeys and invited me out on a lunch date.  It was two years later to that first date when we exchanged vows on the deck built out from an old grist mill.  We have spent just as many years working together at phone companies and sometimes on the same team as we have spent working at different companies since we met.  The years we worked together were hands down the best.

He is my best friend, my husband and a wonderful father.  I don't think I will ever understand his fervor for the Minnesota Vikings or how he can drink a Mountain Dew at 10pm and then go straight to sleep, but that's okay.  I don't need to.  Neither of us have the need to fill the air with idle chatter as we are comfortable in silence.  We don't like crowds and almost always agree on paint colors and furniture.  No matter what fire has been lit under me, he has supported me 100% in trying what has inspired me (from buying a sewing machine that sat unused for years, to a stint of selling cosmetics to playing with fire and hiding behind a camera).  He has my back and I have his.  I know he loves me and that is enough.  I feel so undeserving, yet incredibly thankful for this man in my life who puts family first.

And if you're reading this Todd Wenzel, I love you more than you know.

Eggs Going into the Shop Today!

Wow!  I have over 50 eggs that have been split up into 18 little groups that will be going into my shop at 2pm EDT this afternoon.  I let my kids have fun deciding on the color combos and groups, so we have only one group of two...the rest will all be fraternal triplets.  Some of the eggs have randomly unique spots or a dusting of speckles on their bottoms....those will have additional pics in the listings.  There are a handful of etched eggs scattered throughout these batches.

See you at 2pm!

Tuesday Eggs

Here are the nine little eggs that came out of my kiln last night.  I now have over 50 eggs to group up in sets of twos and threes for an update tomorrow.  Come back tomorrow morning for pics of those sets.

I am having fun with the kids this week.  We are playing outside, going to the library and straightening up the house (way past due in so many rooms/closets!).

More Eggs

The weekend flew by quickly as we celebrated our boy child's ninth birthday.  Many grandparents filled the house, as did an aunt and a few friends who spent the night.  Monday blurred into the weekend as the kids are home from school this week and we had three dental appointments yesterday.  Two of us got a thumbs up and the third needs to go back on Thursday for three fillings.  :(

Here are beads that came out of the kiln on Thursday and Friday nights.  I made another nine eggs this morning that should be coming out of the kiln soon.  I'm hoping to have in between 50-60 eggs to put into the shop on Thursday.  Based on that poll up there on the right, it seems that sets of two or three eggs are the most wanted.  So that's what I will do.

I'll start grouping the eggs together tomorrow to show the twins and triplets that will be listed together in the shop on Thursday.

TGIF!

My days have new meaning to me now.  Fridays used to mean that the work week was almost over and I would have two very short days to rush and get the house straightened up, grocery shopping completed, laundry done and maybe a little time to relax with my kids and husband if I was lucky.  

Now Friday is my last day to rush and getting everything done around the house that I need to get done so the weekend can be much more laid back with my family.  I have steadily been working at cleaning off my desk and my torch table in my office/studio.  As of this morning, my torch table is completely free of all junk and everything that should have never been set there in the first place.  It just needs to be wiped down to get rid of all the dust.  And a sizeable amount of real estate is now visible on my desk top.  It feels so good to finally be reclaiming my office and studio from all the clutter!

These are all of the eggs that came out of the kiln last night.  There are twenty four new bebes and I am LOVING them!  Aren't they delicious?  More are in my kiln now, but I'm not sure if I will get more torch time today.  I have errands to run....namely spending time at the elementary school.  The boy child turns nine this weekend and I will be surprising him at lunch time with a special cookie cake to share with his classmates.  And a little later, I will be reading to the girl child's classroom.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and are enjoying the autumn temps that have been blowing in over this last week.  I am enjoying having all the windows open in the house and NOT running the air conditioning!!

p.s.  there is one set of eggs left in my shop waiting for a good home  :)

p.p.s.  I have added a poll up there on the right to see how many eggs you all think should be listed together.  Tell me what you think is the perfect number!

So. Very. Thankful.

It has been one week now since I gave every semblance of Corporate America back to The Man.  My breathing is slowing down and I am enjoying every day with my kids when they get off the bus.  I still catch myself mentally preparing for the next work day, the conference calls I will need to join, the reports needing completion.  And then I am reminded that I don't have those stresses anymore and I sigh in thanks.

I am so very happy now with where my life is and where we are headed.  I am finding days spent doing what I love just create so much more room for love and patience with my family members.  Not carrying that blackberry with me helps, too.

I was amazed by your outpouring of support and encouragement and congratulations last week when I shared what has been going on.  You all are just the best.  Thank you for coming here and supporting me.  

I'll stop gushing now.  I just wanted to say thank you.  :)

Eggs!

I pulled nine eggs out of my kiln last night and did a happy dance.  I knew right away that I could not etch them because I just love them as they are being all shiny.  These four sets of eggs will be going in the shop at 2pm EDT today, as well as all of the other beads I have shown you this week.

These were already etched and I love them, too.

But these are my favorites.  I might have to pull the listing if they don't get snatched.  I think I need more time with these babies.

TGIF tomorrow!

Tuesday Beads are Few, So Here is a Random Post :)

I only got this one set made and just a few eggs still waiting to be etched.  Yesterday was mostly a day of errands.  Today is more of the same as I run around town with my Mom for lunch and shopping.  She needs to find a dress for a wedding we are going to together next month.

While I was out yesterday, I picked up this book by Heather Powers.  One of my eggs is shown on page 15 and she uses my headpins in the necklace tutorial on pages 66-67.  It's pretty neat seeing my work on printed pages, which makes me so grateful for those of you who buy my lampwork, use them in your jewelry designs and then submit some of those designs for publishing in magazines or books.  You all are just the best and go far in reinforcing I am where I need to be and surrounded by the right kinds of folks.

Here is a funky lentil which also came out of the kiln.  This is what happens when too much glass is added before forming the lentil shape.  It smooshes out.  And yes, smooshes is the technical glass term for this.

 

For you Nikon fans, I am thinning out my stash of lenses and selling my 35mm/f2.0 lens and my 105mm/f2.8 Micro lens.  They are both in perfect condition with no exterior wear/marks and come with B+W MRC filters over the lenses for added protection, as well as their original Nikkor boxes, manuals and front/rear lens caps.  Email me at kelleysbeadstudio@me.com if you're interested.  They both performed perfectly on my D90 and now my D700.

Yesterday was my Grandma Eloise's 93rd birthday.  We went out for hibachi for dinner together.  She deals with a bit of dementia and Alzheimer's, so it was a surprise a few times throughout dinner that it was her birthday.  She is always in wonderful spirits and has the best disposition.  My kids adore their great grandmother.

Oftentimes she has crazy hair and even crazier clothes.  One is just not a concern and the other makes her happy.  Her memory is pretty much shot and thoughts do not stay in her head long before being forgotten.  But she always knows she is surrounded by people who love her dearly and knows that the feeling is mutual.  She enjoys being with us and hearing the kids laugh.  She is not the same person she was in my childhood.  Losing her husband and her oldest son over the last ten years were hard blows.  While I miss the woman she was, I am so very thankful she is still here with us...celebrating another birthday (wow, 93!), laughing easily and returning our hugs and kisses.  HaPpY bIrThDaY to my Grandma!

Encased!

Last night found me pulling these three sets of encased beads out of my kiln.

I am loving the hints of blue and lavender peeping out on these swirly green beads.

These did not turn out how I expected, but I think they are my favorite set.  Smoky greys are not very common in lampwork, which is why I love these all the more.

I am loving being on the torch during the day.  It's so nice to be playing with fire during daylight hours.  But it also means I don't have to wait until the next morning to see what will come out of the kiln.  Now I can go to bed with a big smile on my face, like I got my Christmas presents the day before Christmas.  :)

These will all be going in the shop on Thursday afternoon at 2pm EDT.

This Weekend was Filled With....

The boy child's first baseball game.  It was two hours looooong.  He had fun (which is what's more important, I keep reminding myself.  this is about him, not about me....another reminder to self) and scored two runs.  The husband did yardwork.  I enjoyed a house with open windows. 

Sunday afternoon landed us in South Carolina.  We stopped twenty miles into the state to meet my friend Cindy for lunch and then trucked onto Greenville to the Indie Craft Parade.  The place was a zoo!  So many talented artists and a very pro-Etsy environment, which was a nice change from so many of the online forums I see.  I think I finished my Christmas shopping there.  But the highlight of Greenville was definitely meeting Barbara Bechtel of Second Surf (and her beau!) in person.  She was even more lovely in person and I was thrilled that she was able to catch a break from her table to walk around with me for 20 minutes!  She inspired me to find a cute dress to wear for our family photos (we haven't had any taken since the week before the girl child was born...how sad is that?!) being taken next weekend by Blue Lily.  And do my hair up nice, so I need to find that curling iron of mine that gets used once every six years.

Cindy and me :)

These are the beads that came out of the kiln Friday night.  It felt soooo good to be on the torch during the day with my windows wide open and music blasting.  I think I can get used to this new life!

The theme for this week will be encased.  Will see what else I do that looks cool under clear.  I love that this bright orange has a bit of variation with hints of cream and lemony yellow peeking out.

And surprise, eggs are coming back for the Thursday shop update.  I think the shop needs a little more protein, don't you?

Last Friday Night Shop Update!

First, thank you to EVERYONE who left such supportive and encouraging comments on my blog post last night, or who let me know on Facebook how excited you are for me.  You all are fabulous.  Really!

And now onto shop updates.  This will be the last one on Friday night (currently scheduled for 8pm EDT).  After this one, beads will be listed in my shop on Thursdays at 2pm ET.  By my count, I have 30 new listings going in tonight.  

All of the lentils and focal beads will be sold individually.

This is the other side of the lentils above.

These will appear in one listing together, but will also be sold individually.

Same goes for the raku on black lentils.

I love the green and purple on the light baby blue.  These will be in one listing, but sold individually.

As will these!

I'll see you tonight in my shop and then back here on Monday.  Have a fantastic weekend!