Happy New Year

Along with everyone else, I can't believe that 2007 is over. It's been a great year for Denise and I, doing more bead shows that we've ever done. As I sit here listening to the weatherman forcasting snow, I can't help but remember the Doylestown Art Festival last September when the temperature hovered around 100 degrees. It's hard to remember sweating under our tent when I'm wearing 3 pairs of socks to keep my feet warm. I'm looking forward to spending January weekends making lots of new beads for our 2008 shows. It's going to be a real challenge to find the time to make lots of beads. We hope to see all our bead friends at our February shows. HAPPY NEW YEAR and HAPPY BEADING!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Diane and I just finished our last show for 2007, and it was a fantastic year! As those of you who met us already know, a part of our heart and soul is in each bead, and it is exciting to think of all our little beads finding such wonderful homes! Please remember we love to see what you made with our beads, so bring something back to show us...or a photo of your work!

I think there are 2 very magical moments in doing a bead show...the first one comes 30 minutes before the doors open to the public, when sellers are rushing to make each bead shine, pearls glow, stones glimmer...and of course the Artist created lampwork beads just seem to burst forth with new color....It is a feeling of anticipation, but also a feeling of being unsure if i am ready to part with all my beads. Most people would assume each bead is made to sell, but really each bead delights me and sometimes i have to pry my own fingers from my beads to let go of them and sell them! (not to mention how I covet Diane's beads and yes, I have been shameless enough to hint when I want something for myself from her :-)

The second magical moment is a person who takes longer than an hour to select their focal or set of beads. To me, there is so much delight in this, I suddenly feel so worthy, *I* have created something to be studied and adored..... so ***please*** anyone stopping by to see our beads, enjoy, we even hold coats and packages to make your esperience better.....

Ok, onward to 2008.....

Mah Jongg

Tonight is my Mah Jongg night. There's a group of 5 of us who get together to play once a week. I love the game but sometimes it gets really confusing to try to keep all your possible hands in your head until you finally commit to just one. Any players out there?

Fallsington, PA

The Fallsington Day event went off without a hitch. The weather was good (it would have been perfect if it had been a little warmer) and the town was incredible. It was filled with historic buildings that we really didn't have time to visit. I did manage one quick tour of a house that was built in William Penn's time. The original house was two rooms, both dominated by huge fireplaces. It made me appreciate how much room we have in our modern houses.
The weather went from hot, humid summer to fall overnight. I don't like those abrupt weather changes, but at least the rest of our shows are indoors. Denise is packing the tent away for another year. YEAH!!!! My digital camera broke and I finally bought a new one last week. Maybe I'll actually learn to use this one.

Denise and I left bright and early Sunday morning (at 6am to be exact) and discovered that it's still dark at that time of the morning. We didn't even have the pleasure of seeing a beautiful sunrise because of all the clouds. Anyway, the ride was uneventful but eye-opening. After we crossed the Goethals sp? bridge we were shocked to discover that the toll was $6.00! In talking to someone at the show, I expressed my outrage at the cost of crossing the bridge. I was told that the toll covered both ways and that I wouldn't have to pay again on the return trip. What she didn't tell me (probably on purpose) was that we had to pay a $9.00!!!!!! toll to cross the Verrazano bridge on the way home. It was fun to meet some new people at the show but it was a very long day!
Now I can start to agonize over our next show, an outdoor festival in Fallsington, PA on Saturday. I'm watching the weather channel constantly. Right now they're predicting that some of our much-needed rain will be coming the day of the festival. Oh well, at least they're promising that it won't be hot and humid like today. Hope you're well and happy beading!

I can't believe it's so hot in October. I usually love summer and don't complain about the heat but this is getting to be too much. For those of you who don't know me, I teach 4th grade in my "other life." Usually I go back to work and put up with the heat in my classroom for the first week or two, but this year it's been over a month and I'm still sweltering. My classroom is on the top floor of the school and gets the full afternoon sun. You get the idea. Anyway, as long as I'm coming home from work already sweaty, I try to spend an hour or so making beads. I've been playing with some Bullseye glass which has some lovely pinks and purples. Bullseye also makes both a green and a blue glass with 'sparkles' in them. Don't forget to check out our upcoming shows on the website. Stop by and say hi when you're at a bead show.

YESSSSS!!!!! The travel chocolate is coming. For those of you who never saw it, "Travel Chocolate" is a little round tin filled with wedges of dark chocolate. The chocolate inside seems to last a long time, probably because the only time we eat it is when we're away for a weekend show. I'm trying to take a picture of the tin but my camera seems to have died (oh the joys of technology). Anyway that's a whole lot more than you wanted to know.

Also, the glass from Olympia came today; some great new colors including a new blue called "pigeon blue". If you ever saw a pigeon up close some of the tips of their wings and tail feathers are a beautiful dark blue with heavy gray tones to it. I don't know what kind of beads I'll make with it - I just liked the name of the color.

Speaking of getting new glass - for some reason I put all new glass on my glass shelf and look at it for months, sometimes years, before I use any of it. I don't know why, because once I start using it, I usually use it all up.

Also, I seem to have lost the key for my studio. I had it Sunday night when I locked up and now I can't find it. This means I have to use the spare key that I keep on my key ring and it's just not convenient. I have everyone in the house on a major 'key search'. Maybe tomorrow we'll find it. Bye for now!

Sunday Sept. 30th

Diane is very on target, the talent we see when we are doing shows is amazing! It gives me such respect for all of us "beaders" and what we do...create wearable art. It has nothing to do with how much money we can make, or mass producing...it is all about feeling good about ourselves, and feeling connected to the past as beads have been around for 75,000 years now.

I was on the torch today, making a special order, something I rarely do, because beads rarely turn out the same twice, and no big surprise here, they did not turn out the same as the person ordered...but still, it was a good experience in creating something different.

Ok, on to serious matters, Diane, do you have the Travelers Chocolate packed for NY?

2BeadSisters at the Allentown bead show

We just finished our September Allentown bead show. It was great to see so many old friends and meet some new ones. My favorite part of doing a show is watching the jewelry parade. Everyone is so creative! Denise and I will be heading to Hofstra University for the Long Island Bead Society show on October 7th. It will be our first time to visit Long Island and we're looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to the end of this intense heat and humidity; it's not very condusive sp? to bead making. Oh well, when it gets cold I'll complain about that too.