This Christmas season I participated in my first ever online "Secret Santa" game. I was assigned someone that had given no extra information. So I turned into "Stalker Santa" and looked her up online. I googled her name and came up with an interview she had given and finally some extra information so I could make something just for her. So I designed a bead to match her love for Stephen Kings' Dark Tower series and I also sent along some really incredible catnip for her two cats, Roland and Cuthbert, named after two of the characters in the books.

About that catnip... It was sitting in a sealed container, in a bag on top of the television, about 5' off of the floor. Our cat walked into the room an started sniffing the air. She then proceeded to jump up onto the narrow ledge beside the television and climbed up next to the bag with the yummy smell.

I put her back on the floor and gave her a little pinch from her own container :)

Happy Holidays!

Big olive shaped hollows~ It has been sooo cold everywhere lately. Matt set up the heater in my shop last week so I can at least keep my buns warm while I work :) I have one more custom order to finish up this week and then I can relax a bit and just be creative for a couple of weeks.
I purchased the cutest snowpeople here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8435259 Glasscat is a fellow member of the EGA and I can vouch for her well made adorable and quickly shipped items. I just hope the recipient loves them as much as I do!!
Ready for Christmas? Matt and I are going to finish up this weekend I think (hope)
I seriously can't stand the mall and the crowds umm... ever not just at Christmas time.
i am an early up get in get out kind of shopper~
Have a Great Day!!!

A couple more of our spoon bracelets. This one is stamped "eternally yours" inside. I am sure that is the name of the pattern~ How romantic is that?And of course I saved the best for last but that is only my opinion. I will always have a "thing" for seaweed sparkle glass and its tiny bits of inner sparkle~ and the spoons on this one ahh... :)
Things only my camera can see!!! phhh See the bits of hemp fuzz on this bead? I have great vision and didn't notice them with my eyes until after I had taken the picture and loaded it for resizing etc...
The bead is lovely and I am really pleased with how it turned out. The other five pictures I took of it have no fuzz in them :)
Snow, no snow, then some more snow. We went for a walk this morning because it was snowing. I dropped everything, had my girl bundle up quickly and we walked in the falling snow. I try to make the most out of it because you never know how long it will last here. Usually it melts off fairly quickly in a day or two at most. I am not a fan of driving in it and usually just won't period. This morning I drove to the Post Office in a rush and left a package that has to be in the mail in the morning and that was it. Now looking out at the solid colored clouds I wonder if we will have more tonight. It sure looks like it. Another walk is in the making I think :)

Going to Lincoln City with me ~ Lovely shades of a rainforest safari~ Pretty topaz lovelies~ A custom request that wasn't exactly what the customer had in mind :)
Custom orders~ I love them as long as I get to have a bit of creative leeway~ Like color options! Choose more than one and it becomes an inspirational experience for me :)
Be specific! If you are after a certain look say so! It is okay, my goal is to make something you will love. Of course if I love them as well it will be easier for me, but I think I love most all of them~ lol...
I have been doing some custom requests lately and the reality is sometimes they work out and sometimes they don't. It is difficult translating a vision from an e-mail, even with pictures. I am learning to ask more questions and really get the specifics nailed down. But still I will make more than one bead set or pendant or whatever if I need to and it is allright, because like I said I happen to love them all and extra inventory is always great for me.
Have no fear! It is certainly okay to ask and never a bother for me.
Now seriously I must get down to the business of show preparation. Lincoln City is looming and I am starting to have a touch of anxiety! I may need to back off the coffee this week so I can stay calm and not get too excited. I'll burn myself out before Friday if my mind keeps racing like this hehehe... I am really looking forward to it. Matt and I will get a mini vacation and meet up with a bunch of other people from Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/index.php
It is going to be a fun time!

I have been working with turquoise this week trying to duplicate a reaction from another set of beads I made~ Here I paired it with elektra in an effort to get the creamy colors of ivory without the black reaction line~ I reduced to bring out the copper reds and then encased them in clear and shaped them into pillow beads.
Oh and here we are in my dungeon oh I mean studio :) Yes it is messy right now bleh... I usually keep it nice and tidy and never have this much glass out at once.
When I went to Frantz I bought glass that is to long to fit into the storage space. I am cutting it in half with the torch and putting them away as I have time and room. Who would ever think there isn't enough room? hehehe... :P
Time to kick it up a notch!!! I have two shows to prepare for, one is this coming weekend!!! I will be in Lincoln City in front of the Cultural center with a bunch of other people from Etsy! I am really excited to do this show and I hope all goes well~ Pray for great weather and small winds. Oh and of course that the event is hugely successful for everyone involved!!
More later~
Kris

Here are the rest~ Of course I just love this navy color! And Some more of this combo my new "old" favorite!
I don't have time to say much today as I am busy with my daughter and niece! My but they do keep me busy. You'd think they would keep each other busy right? huh! lol~ Ah well I am sure they will be too busy for me in time.
Seeya after Frantz!!!!
Except for you Amanda I will see YOU there :)

Beads, its always beads isn't it? These deserved a new picture at the very least. The first pix I took of them were just not right~ This sweet beauty~ hmm do I keep it? Sometimes the camera will pick up detail the naked eye doesn't. That being said most always they are prettier in real life. The dark color here is navy, dark enough to be almost black. I was going for black and the rod I used was extremely dark in color and one of my lightbulbs burned out... well your getting the picture now :) So the experimentals got some friends in this "new" color I accidently mixed. I was surprised when I went out yesterday morning and held the rod up next to the remaining lightbulb to look through it. It isn't even blue~ it is all about layers :)
Green has always had a special place in my heart! More to come in this mix for sure!
Then there are these little delights! They are big-holed ~ 3/16 and layered with silver foil that I decided not to burn off completely. Ahh serious Bliss!
How did my outdoor event for work go? I met "The Crime Dog" Other than that is was a very quiet evening. We had dark threatening rain clouds and some drizzle. Even free food didn't lure the people out. One of the managers, Marlene really made my day! I was scheduled to do the event alone and she put forth an extra effort and came along, good thing, I never would have gotten the canopy up by myself. A Big Thank YOU Marlene!!

So my vacation week is flying by way faster than it should. It is now Thursday and I have two days left. One of which will be spent here : http://www.frantznewsletter.com/August_Bash_07.htm
The other one will be spent preparing to go. I have a list to make ya know?!!!

Beauty and the beast~ The picture at the top is a HUGE pupa or cocoon Matt found while we were working in the yard last week ewwww it is about the size of my pinkie. It will probably hatch into a gigantic man-eating beetle. Bleh.... Of course the beauty is in the beads. I am very happy with the richness of the colors in the bottom set. I learned a new trick with my photo editing program too. I am always happy to find good tips!! Well I am outta here and off to work. Have a fabulous day!

I am still here !! Just busy as sin trying to keep up with everything. I took last weekend off and went to Seattle with friends. We had an amazing time! Good food, lots of laughter and tons of walking. I couldn't live there though as I really love the country and fresh air. Not to mention there aren't as many sirens at night :) I ordered some Terra last week and it arrived on friday. I am so anxious to give it a bit of heat and see what happens! Terra is reactive glass made in small batches in the Pacific NW for those of you who don't know. I was lucky to get some on the first go round. They usually run out of the new glass pretty quickly.