As Promised...

Here are pictures of the amazing assortment of beads sent by Dana James- this was more than a soup, it was a smorgasbord! She went above and beyond, and presented me with choices and combinations galore. Thank you, Dana!

See that stamp focal pendant? Handmade by Dana herself. She gave me 3 different clasp options, chains, charms, bead caps and Tim Holtz findngs- very unique. But wait, there's more!

Add to that some beautifully lustrous mother of pearl beads, another adorable focal, Swarovski (one can NEVER go wrong with them), green quartz, Chinese jade and sumptuous tigers eye beads. Thought we were finished? Oh no... the bounty continues.

I'm not singing the blues with these babies. Lampwork beads, faceted blue glass beauties, some rich, dark blue labradorite ( did I mention I love navy blue?), and finishing up with some leather cording. She also included some antique brass findings and a piece of sunny yellow ribbon which I discovered after taking these pictures, tucked away in the bottom of the bag.

Am I blessed or what? Can't wait to get some time set aside to ponder the possibilities. Hurricane Irene may give me some extra at-home time by the end of the week, but we'll have to wait and see where she ends up. As of right now, she's headed our way, but there's a lot that can happen between now and the end of the week.

Wishing you splashes of grace and dashes of joy!

Bead Soup Blog Party

It's official! I'm paired with Dana James for the BSBP. She's the first on my list of blogs that I follow, and I'm ( take your pick) thrilled, awed, a little intimidated , very challenged , but oh! so excited to be partnered with her.I'm going to take pictures of the wonderful beads she sent to me and post them tomorrow. She's an accomplished beader/teacher/jewelry maker and it's a privilege to be linked to her. There's a total of 362 people from around the world participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party this time.The big reveal will be September 17th. Time to put on the creativity hat and see where it leads.

School starts Monday- back to routine. Daughter #1 remains in Orlando ( go Knights), daughter #2 is safely in Tallahassee (go 'Noles) and daughter #3 begins her junior year in high school(go Brahmans). No more carpooling, no more drop offs/pick ups and I'll have 2 afternoons plus one whole day for things I need want to do.  There's no telling the thousands of miles  and hours I've logged with children in the car- this begins a whole new era. I've scheduled several classes to teach at Michaels for September. I taught Wire Crochet today to 3 women who are interested in learning new techniques and had a ball.They were delighted with their creations, and said they'll be coming back to learn more. I chose to get certified through Michaels because when I was learning how to make jewelry it was so hard to find classes that were local. Now there's only one independent bead store left and they don't offer instruction. The classes offer me a chance to give back and teach something I love doing.  If I ever make it to Seattle, however, I'm hunting down Dana for a class at Shipwreck Beads! I'm also in the process of moving into the new bead space, and while it's a lot of work and far from finished, I'm so enjoying working /organizing/ and making it my own. 

So, pictures to follow- so much to learn about this blogging thing, but I'm going to be like the Little Engine that could, and say "I think I can, I think I can"!

Hoping that today brings you a splash of grace and a dash of joy!

Jumping In

Ever wonder if you're ready to tackle something new and bigger than you've ever tried before? I'm there. I've wanted to do Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party since I stumbled across it back in February. In fact, it was one of the main reasons I chose to dive into blog world. Tomorrow's the final day to sign up, and questions/anxieties/doubts are rising to the surface. It's easy to listen to the voice of fear and failure, isn't it? Am I really good enough to participate? Do I REALLY know what I'm doing with making jewelry? What if it's horrible? On and on and on. Do you ever get tired of the "what ifs" that stop you from trying?

Then today, I came across a posting on a dear friend's Facebook page and suddenly, I knew that, afraid or not, I'm going to commit. While some most of the designs posted in February were amazing and so intimidatingly beautiful, I'll never know if I can do it if I don't try. This is still a blog taking baby steps, but I'm believing that there's others out there who are in a similar boat. So, read this wonderful post from the Brave Girls Club, and join me in taking a leap of faith. Thanks, Toni, for sharing- you do my heart good!

So, deep breath, I decided that before I posted this, I would sign up. There's no sense talking about taking a leap of faith unless you're willing to act on it. My email has been sent- I'll see what number I am tomorrow. Who knows where this could lead?  As Eleanor Roosevelt said: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do".

Hoping that today brings you a splash of grace and a dash of joy!