Happy Thanksgiving!

I am going to my brother's house. He lives about an hour away and since he has Parkinson's disease he is pretty much a shut in.  My brother, Bob, can get around a bit for an hour or two when his medicine kicks in. We sit at his table and talk and laugh about when we were kids until he starts to stiffen up again then us visitors head home. He still lives on his own and prefers it that way. So, I have cooked a full Thanksgiving meal and am taking it to his house.  My best friend is coming with me to help. She has made a fabulous vege dish called southern succotash and got real cranberry sauce. It has bits of orange in it and it is the best! I am so grateful for my best friend.
My brother and I didn't speak for a few years before he got sick but I am grateful that we are on good terms again.  My daughter has a wonderful young man in her life and she is going to his family's house for thanksgiving dinner as it would be too much to have four people over to my brother's house since he tires easily. I am grateful for her as she has been the light of my life since she was born. And I am grateful for her wonderful young man. <3
I hope the roads are good and the day goes well. One of the things I love the most about Thanksgiving is sending leftovers home with people. I always try to cook enough to send some home with everyone!  Must be the mother in me. lol
So,  I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful day! Happy Thanksgiving and blessing to you all.
Patty

New Beads and 40% Off Winter Wonderland Disk Beads

I thought perhaps some peeps would prefer donut shaped beads to disk beads so I have made some sets of Winter Wonderland in donut shapes for you! First a set of fourteen 15mm size chunky donut lampwork beads. These are all 30% off to kick off the holiday season!

 And then I posted a smaller set that could be used for a bracelet with 7 beads.

And lastly I have reduced the big set of Winter Wonderland  lampwork disk beads to 40% off!  Come and see them here!

Then I listed some 'made to order' beads from the Winter Wonderland chunky donut sets so you can choose  which colors you want in sets of three. You can see them here. :o)

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope the weather is ok where you are. 

Oooo, Sweet Winter Wonderland Disk Bead SEt

I love this bead set! I know I shouldn't say that because I made them but sometimes things just come together with your supplies and the vision you have in your head. I had ordered some new frits from Val Cox the last couple months and they were exactly what I needed to make this set cook.  Or rather freeze. :o)
 I have 3 shades of cool blue, two different snowy whites and icy clear disk beads each having a different frit or powder finish on the edge.  Check them out. They are 30% off right now for a pre Black Friday sale!.

Namaste - A Beautiful Sentiment

Namaste

I have wondered what this means since I have seen this on bumper stickers, on a commercial on TV, online and lots of other places. It sounds so lovely and I think the word even looks lovely. So I wondered what it meant.  I love the definition below. To bow to another's true self. The one deep inside that maybe no one sees...that perhaps we are afraid to show for fear of rejection or because we feel a sense of vulnerability. There is a vulnerability when showing one's true self but it may depend on what you are wishing to accomplish. Most people want acceptance and friendship. I suppose we must look inside and ask ourselves what we would be afraid others would see. Perhaps we ask ourselves why we would want to be accepted by a person who would be harsh or cruel if they did see our true self. These are all things I  keep stewing inside of myself. With me it is like a pot bubbling on the back burner working these things to fruition...to be comfortable with anyone seeing my true self.   It is not a thing accomplished just by thinking it.  But perhaps it is wise to keep a little of our deepest self a bit hidden. After all as Cat Stevens said - it is a wild world.  I am still stewing.

What does Namaste mean?

At the end of each yoga class most teachers bring their hands together in front of the heart, bow their head and say "Namaste" and the students bring their hands together and respond in kind. Have you ever wondered exactly what Namaste means? A good definition of Namaste would be "I bow to your true self". The true self might be seen as the deeper, more essential you, less connected to ego, social expectations and pretensions. So the exchange of Namaste at the end of class is a wonderful way to honor the true self in each of us, and recognize that all life is interrelated. For a more in depth explanation take a look at this piece in Wikipedia or a shorter piece in Yoga Journal.

To Etch or Not to Etch

That is the question lots of lampworkers ask themselves after making some sets of beads.  At first i didn't think these beads needed etching. And I wanted to leave them shiny and let the light pass through them to mimic  how bright and clear the light  is in the fall.  Here they are unetched.

Perhaps I was wrong and they would look better etched. The bad thing is that once you etch your beads you can't take it back.  So, I did it and I think it's better.  I tumble etched them which gives a smooth silky etch compared to chemical etching. I love it! The only draw back is that tumble etching doesn't work on beads with texture as it doesn't get in the grooves. Also, do not etch silver glass as you lose all of your beautiful silver glass color.

A Good Day Lampworking!

You know there can be days that you sit down at the torch and work all day to have nothing thrilling come out of the kiln. How that happens I can't say but it does!  lol   But I had a good day a few days ago.  I was pleased with a couple new beads I tried out. The first

was a new shape of an old color combo and I love it!  I should have made this shape all along.  I also used light ivory as  base instead of dark ivory on the top half of the bead. The base color for the second half is called lipstick red unique. It is one of my favorite colors ever - sort of a school house red. ( the photo is a bit light.) I then used terra frit melted in on the top and bottom then rings of olive green and Picasso blue silver glass melted in. The finishing touch is 99% pure silver wire wound around the base and melted gently. What do you think? I love this color combo!

My next new bead was born out of determination to use that damn! gold leaf that has been laying around for years because it is so expensive.  It was placed on a light ivory base, gently heated and then powdered glass in pinky peach and green was alternately added and melted in. Then blue silver glass accent stringer was added. I love the organic look of this combination!

I made a round donut bead to go along with it in the same colors. I want to use this combo again for more beads - perhaps on a different color base. What base color do you think it would be good on?

Another Lovely Autumn Walk

I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since my last walk post. OK, I admit - I haven't taken that many walks this week. And I just realized it yesterday. I sort of scurry through my day  ( I have been tweaking things inside the house - nesting for the coming winter) accomplishing things and then the day is done and no walk.  I did go out yesterday and it was very pleasant to go to the little wood again. I took just one doggie Jessie - sorry her pretty brown eyes are all shined out. As you can see from the second pic she is very goofy and it makes me love her more.

 She ran through the little wood again like a puppy although she is almost 3 years old.
The weather here has been very mild - we had a little rain last night but for the most part it has been sunny and around 60 degrees.
I picked some pretty dried grasses I found  in the field in front of the wood. As a child I would  pick the round , tall grass pieces when they were still green and suck the sweet out of the bottom of the stem.
 I called the fluffy grasses fairy grass.  I saw a painting once where the fairies were dancing on the tips of these type of grasses.

I also found some fabulous grape vine that has died for the year. It is great to use in various art makings.  I like to use it on my velvet pumpkins. well, off for more coffee. <3

Oh, and the 20% off sale is still going on in my Etsy store. :o)

Back Trouble and New Copper Components

You can't keep a good woman down -  Darn it all! I have been having hip pain and just found out I have 2 bulging disks as well as something wrong in my hip! Well, I may have to stop doing the heavy lifting but I can still make beads and jewelry and components. Yay!  And here are some new etched copper components I have just listed in my Etsy store. Super lots of them.  I hope you like them. I will drill holes where you want them. Everything is 20% off in my store, including all of my lampwork beads.  <3

small tribal pendant/charm/connector

1 inch seashell pendant/charm

light weight 1" earring pair disk

1" sun face pendant/charm

1.5" dog bone pendant/connector 

golden 2' long tribal pendant/connector

2" long koi pond pendant/connector

`2.75" long Mendi paisley pendant/connector

purpleish 2.25" long Sunflower Fields pendant/connector

1.25" light weight whimsical flower earring/pendant