Pixie Dust- not just for Tinkerbell

Planning another shop update momentarily, spent yesterday experimenting with Pixie Dust- a tricksy powder that lends a magical shimmer to beads. Don’t know why I’ve never used it before now, but so glad I finally took the plunge. They’re a little hard to properly photograph and convey the shimmery metallic look of the beads.

the past week and a shop update tomorrow…

The Outer Banks were gorgeous, so glad we made the drive and stayed the night. We even had a rainbow greet us as we made our first trip to the beach. It’s still the off season and it was basically deserted and the 2 yo disturbed no one.

Shop update tomorrow. 🙂

Made my friend a pair of earrings as a belated b-day gift.

Treasures from the sea.

Texture plates from our treasures over the week, mmmm….makes me want to dig into the metal clay.

Shop Update for Apr. 1st and 2nd

New work going up shortly in the shop:Surely I’m not the only one who loves the colors together in this trio? *slurp* These will be slightly discounted since the two smaller ones were chipped due to my aggressive cleaning..d’oh! Doesn’t affect the bead, just makes them less than perfect. Oh, oh- love the bead caps on this one and the crackling is superb. Had a hard time letting go of these capped and cored hollows, so luscious but hard to capture on camera.

Shop Update for Mar. 28/29th

Are you still there? Have I scared you away due to my poor, neglected shop never being open? If not, great! I’ll be adding new work over these next few days by editing in batches the hundreds of pictures of beads that have been languishing in wait for me to get the shop re-opened. Here is a quick review of this set that will be listing tonight and into tomorrow, time permitting:

Take a Bike.

image from cyclecityusa.com
My bike and trailer arrived this week and was able to pack them up in the truck and go for a ride in Cary with my wonderful cousins at one of the nearby trails. image from ultrarob.com
I went for a Trek Allant and Burley D’Lite trailer. Both are working out great and yesterday was the perfect day for a bike ride. My only complaint is how difficult (re: impossible for me) it is to snap the supports together when unfolding the D’Lite. I’m hoping it gets easier the more it’s used, but I’ve had to have someone else help me snap the bar over the plastic saddles. For sure it’s sturdy, but may be difficult for one person to unfold.

It’s not the best pic, but gives you an idea of size and proportion. (Don’t worry, Z was wearing a helmet during the ride.)

Cruising for a Bike

This week was supposed to be dedicated to the re-opening of my Etsy shop…spring fever must have hit and now I’m madly searching for a worthy bike. It’s been more than a decade since I’ve owned one and the bike world has definitely changed.

The internet is a treasure trove of sites where you can find reviews, blogs, pictures- which has made my decision on picking one all the more difficult. I’ve managed to narrow it down to a few, but it all depends how I like them in person at one of the local bike shops. Perhaps some of you have a bike you love that you’d recommend?

I’m gaga over the dutch style bikes and interested in the upright comfort make.
Let’s not even start on the child seats..apparently your bike has to have certain holes/screws in certain places for certain bike seats to fit. argh! Why don’t they all just make one fitting fits all? Let’s not get me started on all our wasted cell phone chargers laying around the house.

My favorite is the top- a KHS Green 3 speed. Alas, no local dealers w/ in an hour drive. Bummer.

The second is the Raleigh Circa i3 in Champagne. So classy, but my local bike shop doesn’t have one in stock to ride.
The third is an ‘Amsterdam style’ bike. Electra Bikes make models similar to this to mimic the iconic dutch style bikes. Pretty pricey, but you get what you pay for.
The fourth is one I’m reserving judgment on until I see it in the store. It’s a Specialized Crossroads step-thru style w/ 21 speeds. Nice but a little clunkier looking than my first two. It’s still in the running since it has so many speeds and front shocks for any potholes, etc. I’d want to add fenders and a basket to cute it up 🙂
So there you have it- this is what has sucked up my time for the past week when I was supposed to be getting the shop open! Once my choice has been made, things should fall into place on the bead front, too.

And Another

pic by my wonderful Sis-in-Law:I’m not sure how everyone else who sells online does it- when you take pics do you also think of how the layout will look on business cards, postcards, etc? Since Etsy uses square images for the products, that is the way my pics usually end up cropped. Or maybe you take one or two pics that is a little more..artsy? The plan is to try and take a couple different layout shots for the sets/focals that really set my heart aflutter and save them for business cards..after all, who doesn’t like options?