I had an item mis-listed. In other words I sold it at a show and somehow managed to reactivate it in my shop without having it in my hand!!! I am sooo much more detail oriented than that. Of course I didn't discover my mistake until someone purchased it. I was completely mortified and offered to make her a similar one. She said it didn't have to be the same color as the orignal so I asked her preference and made some beads for her to choose from in the colors she listed. The beads on this leather bracelet are the ones she liked. My favorites out of the bunch~ I am happy to have had the opportunity to create a custom bracelet for her. I hope she loves it!
The snow threats have started already. We were supposed to get some last wednsday night but nada. The local weather service is talking about two consecutive storms headed are way. A cold snow that won't last long followed by wind and temps in the 50's.
Oh Mom I bet you wish you were in Arizona now :)

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Originally uploaded by mattskiss99

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!
Getting to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and stepdad Milo was a rare treat, they are usually already in the warmer climes by this time of year. Milo is fighting a winning battle with prostate cancer. Due to his extended medical treatment they are still in the area for Thanksgiving and mom's Birthday! Although they are both anxious to be "outta here" and headed for Sunny Arizona and their cozy little spot. I am glad they are in the Pacific Northwest with us a bit longer this year :) so Happy Birthday Mom! You guys look lovely together~
Kris

Here it is~ The hollow puffy Lentil I was talking (gushing:) about last week Another View~
The sunrise was cold and beautiful this morning
I forgot about how hard those hollow beads are to clean!!!! Long ago I read about using a waterpick to clean out the last of the bead release but I never had to resort to that until now lol... Luckily I have one and I have to say it worked like a tiny bead pressure washer! Dreamy~
The sunrise was a bonus. The whole sky was lit up like a coral flame. I drank a couple of cups of coffee to get myself good and warm for the torch time I needed to put in today. It gets sooo cold in my studio in the winter sometimes. We haven't set the heater up yet this winter so I bundle up and take something hot to drink with me.
Well now it is time to get busy and get some Turkey soup on.
Warm and full of veggies yum :)

I have something in my kiln that I can't wait to see!!! It is a largish round hollow that I flattened a bit. It looks like a puffy lentil. I have wanted to make a bead like this for some time. In fact it was the inspiration for the hollow cubes I made a while back. I adore the way the light shines through them. Trying to keep the corners square and crisp was another thing entirely. Molten glass behaves much like slow moving water. It wants to be round and will continually try to become round until it cools enough to stay in the shape you like.

I will post pictures soon~

Oysters on the half shell? Not what I intended but a nice effect just the same.
Glass reacts to glass because of the different chemical properties of each color (I hope I am saying that right) Different things happen between different glasses. That is probably the thing that keeps me interested the most. I can try to duplicate an effect but it usually doesn't happen the same way.
Then there are glasses that are reactive all by themselves like Terra, R-108, Z-99 and a host of others.
Then to really spice things up you can also add metal leaf and foils in copper, silver, gold and palladium oh and wire too~ Burn them off in the flame or not :)

A little Terranova show and tell!
Some Silver Plum in all its wonder!
A little more Terranova. I really enjoy the subtle hues in this glass. Greens and purpley burgundies into gorgeous blues mmm nice...
Monday night I was surprised by my old friend migraine. I was busy doing some work on the computer and I realized part of the screen was missing. I was seeing "the hole" Part of my vision just fills in with a blank for lack of a better description. I used to have migraines often in my mid-twenties and I could always tell one was coming on for sure by running and looking at myself in a mirror. Part of my face would be gone from my field of vision. The next thing to come would be "lights" out of the corner of my eye, kind of like looking at a lightbulb and then away. From there it just gets more fun, numbness in various body parts and sometimes words don't make any sense. I usually just shut up and lie down.
So Monday night I squinted one eye printed what I needed and went to bed at about 6:00 pm. I dozed and awakened feeling better at about 8:45 pm I was surprised that I felt better so I got up had a light snack and then it started again!!! First the hole then the lights. Never have I had two in a row like that I still feel a little out of it and It is Thursday two days later.
I have things to do I don't have time for migraine prison right now dammit!!!

Have you checked out our Holiday Gift guide yet? Lis our fearless leader, neverending source of ideas, wonder girl came up with this. It is a lovely collection of easy (uncrowded) holiday shopping if you ask me :) Don't hesitate everything is handmade high quality artisan glass!

I'd much rather have a stack of beads than a stack of pancakes :) This shape has been my favorite lately and I have seriously drifted away from my usual petite bead sets. I have become a focal makin' fool. I used to test combos on small round beads but lately these have become my "test beads" The shape is superslim and they feel so cool in my hands. Like a worrystone, they are soothing and beautiful to look at too.

She's a doll isn't she?
Matt and sam and I took Alena down to his grandparents for the annual apple harvest. They pick all of the apples at the end of the season just shake them out of the trees,
pick them up from the ground and box them up. Then they took them around to the front where the cider press is located.
Grandpa seemed to be having a great time :) He was probably just happy to get the apples picked so the bear quits coming around at night! Yes they have had a bear prowling for apples in the last few weeks so it's a good thing they made them into cider.
Matt and Dave are getting the cider press ready to rock and roll~
Miss Alena having a bit of quality time with her great grandma.
Does making cider and spending the day with beloved family members count as a day off? Well for me it does all I really did was wander around with a baby on my hip and a camera in my free hand. I don't know how I ever got anything done while my babies were little!!! I stand amazed that some of the people I know can accomplish so much with children underfoot :) I know I got things done when the kids were little. I guess I have forgotten how lol...

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Originally uploaded by mattskiss99

Something sweet and tranquil to look at until I have more time for a real post~