Its Been A While

As usual blogging takes a back seat to well just about everything else.  So here's what's happening.  The big push for the Bead & Button Show is about to begin. I got my selected Bead Dreams piece in the mail yesterday(its due at Kalmback offices on Friday.)  Its always a bit of a struggle to come up with a display.  I fell back on base with twisted wire.  I like the beads to be seen from all sides and not just set on the shelf. Twisted wire adds a little whimsy and I don't think it detracts from the beads too much.

So back to the big push.  Officially it begins May 1 when I will devote every waking second to making as much inventory as I possibly can and ends at the last possible moment before the show.  I can pack while the kiln is cooling, right?   I ALWAYS  have more on my list than I can possibly make.  In addition to my show inventory, I have teamed up with Kim Van Antwerp who has designed beaded kits to go with some of my beads.  She is teaching the "Party On" Robot Pendant class which was inspired by last year's Bead Dreams 1st place category winner "Robot Party."   Kim also designed and adorable ballerina kit using my face bead and Penny Michelle's sterling silver parts.  I love these little ballerinas. 

I will be assisting Kim at the Meet the Teachers reception on June 4 the night before the Bead Marketplace opens.  We will have robot and ballerina kits as well as whatever wonderful creations Kim brings.  I am very excited to be working with such a wonderful artist and I hope this will be a long long collaboration.  We live on different sides of the country so I will probably babble her ears off with ideas when I get to see her in person.........and don't forget to sign up for her Friday night Robot Class.  Visit my FB Page for a special offer to early registrants.  Its a good one, you'll want to check it out if you are going to B&B for classes.  

So I won't see much of the Florida sunshine, except through my studio windows for the next month but that's OK.  Big pushes like this usually lead to innovations on old ideas and some new ideas and that's where the fun is. Plus there is nothing like opening up a big kiln load of beads which inevitably looks like a little pile of beads because hey, they're beads; they're not big.  I have already developed a small obsession with a new matte gunmetal finish that I used on my eye/keyhole bead.  I did hearts and a smaller box version of the eye/keyhole but I am dying to do companion beads and strands in the finish that incorporate the screws and rivets from the robots.  Actually I think robots in this finish may be in order.  This is exactly how things spiral out of control for me.  This is only ONE series of beads and I could spend the entire month on it.  

So its off to the studio for me today.  I am into it but not pushing hard this last part of April but just want to put together a little head start on May production that I hope will motivate me.  I don't have any trouble WANTING to make beads but sometimes the physical aspect of sitting too long and using my hands too long takes its toll.  My other pre-"May push" task is to get my work area clean and my slips ready to roll.  Mixing ALL my colors and cleaning tip on slip bottles can be a two to three day chore so I tend to put it off as long as I can but work is so much sweeter when everything is newly prepped.