Summer Update...

It's H.O.T... HOT!! I can't remember the last time it wasn't over 100*. And let's just say.. the rain has been non-existent. The drought has been horrendous... with the exception of a couple of cloud bursts that missed 90% of the city. I'm sooo looking forward to winter. The good news is.. we finally got air conditioning in our vehicle. Thanks to my brother-in-law Mike and my husband (refusing to accept the mechanic's estimate for the repair of said A/C unit), I can now go places without risk of a heat stroke. =)

I'm still up to my neck in beads... not complaining... there are worse things to be up to your neck in. Slowly but surely we are getting  back to a more normal existence and doing shows on a more regular basis. The downtime we had over the last few months gave me a chance to try to get my workroom organized. It's a continual work in progress, because as we all know... I bead like the Tazmanian Devil. I've also gotten to work on some custom pieces for friends and family. My older sister bought some gorgeous beads in New Mexico.

... and this is what I made for her.

I've also spent some time "getting hammered".

I purchased a slightly used PMC Hot Pot. I can't wait to put it to use!

... but best of all I got to spend time with family! (hubby is a little camera shy so he's the one shooting the pic.)

Hope your summer has gone well... and that you've managed to stay cool!

;)

Burning the midnight oil.

It seems that recently I'm getting most of my work done while this half of the world sleeps. I've even had a couple of people refer to me as a "vampire" for choosing work over sleep. It turns out that even the dog is bothered by it. She's been giving me dirty looks for keeping her awake. They just don't realize that these are the hours when I am most creative. There are no distractions like the phone or people wanting to go places and do stuff. And for those who are wondering... Do I sleep? Yes, I sleep through rush hour traffic, school zones, the inane morning talk shows and all the rest of the stuff that my "Day walker" friends endure. So, tonight, while they were sleeping I worked on updating the website with this....



...this.


Oh yeah... and this!!



... and other jewelry pieces too.

What they don't understand is, that the hours after the sunsets are the moments that allow me focus and get stuff accomplished. Like making new jewelry, photographing those lovely creations, editing photos, updating my website, and even writing the occasional blog post. It doesn't get done all in one night, after all, I'm a vampire... not Wonder Woman. ;)