The Best Thing About Birthdays

My birthday, anyway, is that I get three days off work in a row.

I finished a bracelet and the third and final container in the yellow quartzite series last night.

Skies Over Santa Fe Reprise

Containment No. 7 - Nefertiri's Treasure Box

I'm going to spend my days off playing with beads, sketching new ideas and watching old Bette Davis movies. Do I know how to live it up or what?

Dreaming the Skies Over Santa Fe

Dreaming the Skies of Santa Fe

I finished this bracelet last night. I have a second one strung and waiting for the beadweaving, and about a dozen more sitting in the work tray ready to be strung.

Then today I was clearing out a nest of old craft magazines and found my "inspiration folder." If only there had been someone, some guardian angel at my side to scream in my ear, "DON'T OPEN THAT!! DON'T LOOK!!!" *sigh* About four necklaces are now simmering in my brain stew.

Containment No. 6 Finished

Yellow quartzite, dyed freshwater pearls, shaped dyed freshwater pearl hearts, Japanese glass and 24k gold plated and fumed seed beads.

Containment No. 5 Complete

Finished this one last night. I've planned a series of three using yellow quartzite cabochons - I'm going to use different gemstone chips with each one. The next one will be accented with freshwater champagne heart pearls and peridot chips. The contrast in colors bring out different qualities in the quartzite that fascinate me.

The Wake-Up Call

Asa couldn't wait for me to wake up on my own. After looking at our email this morning, he decided there was something I needed to see. He shook my foot. Bleary, half dreaming, and desperate for coffee I stumbled to the table.

An Etsy order from a repeat customer. My most recent customer, actually.

Remember these?

Industrial Femme

The Dreamtime

They, along with my last two Paiute cab treasure boxes (Containments 3 & 4), sold this morning.

I really didn't need any coffee to get going after I read that.

Containment No. 4 Complete

The first photo is just a tad dark. I received an early birthday present - Photoshop Elements 7 - once I learn how it works, I hope to improve my pictures more easily.

I have the next few boxes roughly sketched - I can't wait to get to work on the next one - it's yellow quartz with garnet chips.



And away I go -