Pre-show Frenzy

Well, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here in the glass lab and the bead lab! Tomorrow is the first day (preview day) of the Stitches West 2009 show. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, come by our booth over the weekend! The show is at the Santa Clara Convention Center, and I will be in booth 935 - Cook & Young ~ Flames & Fiber.



And next week, after the show is behind me, I'll be cooking up some new items in the glass lab and the wet lab. You'll also see a lot more of me out here. When I'm in pre-show mode I tend to disappear into my labs... and my teaching schedule doesn't slow down a bit!

Speaking of teaching, I'll be teaching 2 new classes at BAGI in the upcoming weeks. These classes are all about using metals in your glass beads. Come take a class with me, we have loads of fun!

Until next week - or when I see you at Stitches West - have a fun, creative, productive weekend!

Starting a New Week

This is it - my last full week to "make stuff" before I do all the prep things for the Stitches West show. Pressure? You bet! I've got so many ideas floating around in my head that I don't know what to do first. And there's no way I'm going to be able to do it all. I guess I'd better start prioritizing.

During my blog-hopping, I came across this tarot quiz several times and decided to check it out just for grins. I don't put much stock in these sorts of things but it was fun to see what my card looks like from each of the available decks. Turns out I am the Star. Here are my cards from the various decks - which is YOUR favorite? I'm rather partial to the card with the cat.

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Well now that I've been told that I have clarity of vision, I'd better go out to the glass lab so that I can realize that vision and bring it with me to the show! Unexpected help would be much appreciated but I'm afraid that for the time being I'm on my own. Hope you all have a creative, productive day!

Still On the Planet

Contrary to popular belief, I haven't dropped off the planet. I've been in the glass lab, the bead lab, and the wet lab getting ready for my next show. Why do I do this to myself? The show starts in about 2 weeks and I've got so much to do I don't know which end is up. I guess you really can't teach an old dog new tricks...

If you happen to be in the San Francisco Bay Area on February 27, 28, and/or March 1, come to Stitches West 2009 in Santa Clara! It's an amazing show - you'll be overwhelmed for sure. I remember the first time I attended Stitches West. It reminded me of the first bead show I ever attended. I walked around all day with my eyes like saucers and my jaw a bit slack. So if you need an eye candy fix, come check it out! I'll be in Booth 935 with my part-time biz partner Nanette. Our collaborative business is called Flames & Fiber and we'll have lots of handmade glass beads, jewelry, and fiber creations. I'll be selling my felt work, beads, and jewelry - Nanette will be selling her beads, jewelry, and glorious hand-painted silk scarves.

Here's Nanette at the show last year, getting her morning caffeine before the doors opened. You can see some of her scarves hanging on the wall behind her.



Nan and I began collaborating about 4 years ago, quite by accident. We were at one of our monthly beadmakers' meetings, sitting at a table chatting. She spread her beads out on the table, I spread mine out, and then we just looked at each other with our mouths hanging open. Unbeknownst to each other, Nan had been making flower beads and I had been making leaf beads. Immediately we started matching up leaves with flowers, having a grand old time. She gave me a few flowers, I gave her some leaves, and we went off on our merry way. A few weeks later, Nan asked me if I would be willing to collaborate with her on a jewelry kit. She had designed a gorgeous slider, incorporating one of her flowers and three of my leaves. That was the start of our creative explorations together along with an ever-deepening friendship.

Here is our Flames & Fiber postcard.



So come on down to our little garden - booth 935 - for a visual feast and some fine shopping.

And now I'm off to the glass lab to clean yesterday's beads. Have yourselves a creative day!