Beads, beads, beads

Look at these, aren’t they gorgeous? This was my first time ordering from Lima Beads, so I was a little nervous about the quality of their beads*. No need to worry, everything looks really good and the shipping was super fast. Now, all I need is time! Sound familiar? Well, I’m in the middle of my fall freelance project, so I really don’t have that much spare time to be playing with my beads. But, maybe there will be an evening here or there when the project will be temporarily out of my hands in the clients’, well, then you know what I will be doing!


And speaking of this project, I decided it was time to invest in a new computer, since I will have had mine for six years in another month (in computer language that means it’s older than dirt!). I bought myself my first laptop! Not sure how I’m going to adjust to working on it, but it sure beats spending the money on a new desktop system. I think my biggest adjustment will be getting used to the smaller monitor. I mistakenly thought my monitor was a 15-inch, but it’s actually a 17-inch. So, working on a 27-inch monitor all day at work and then going home to a 15-inch laptop is ... well, a little challenging. But, I’m sure the speed of the laptop will make up for the lack of image I can see at one time. Change is good!

*Oh, and in case you’re curious, the beads pictured above include: Canadian jade, dumortierite, rainbow soocho jade (also called antique jade), rainbow aquamarine, amazonite black tourmaline, monaco agate, green prase, and two yellow jade pendants.

Etsy find

Look at this cute little clay heart pendant I found on Etsy this morning!

Going, Going, Gone

So, I sold another one of my favorites on my Etsy site. It’s exciting! Funny thing is, I miss some of the pieces I sell ... and some I forget I ever made. Not because I don’t like them, but because for the longest time I didn’t keep track of what I made. Etsy sort of forces me to take pictures of everything from every angle, so there’s always a reminder of what I’ve made. That’s probably not a bad thing, seeing that I’m starting to be forgetful in my old age ... ha-ha! I can only imagine what another ten years will do to my poor mind ...

Back to reality

This is where I’d like to be right now. Sitting on a cliff on my dad’s island watching the sun set after a day of doing basically nothing. Instead I’m back. Back home. My other home. And back at work. I’m blessed to have a job I love doing, I just wish I had had a little more time in Sweden and Finland. Oh, well! There is always next year or the year after that.

Going Home

So we’re almost off to Sweden, my youngest daughter and I. My oldest daughter is anxiously awaiting our arrival on Sunday, and I look forward to giving her a big hug. She’s been there with her Mormor (grandmother in Swedish) for three weeks. She’s been homesick in the evenings, but she’s been too busy to be homesick during the day. Her Swedish has improved, which was the reason I wanted to send her over there in the first place, and she has made friends with children who speak nothing but Swedish. It’s amazing how easy it is for children to just connect without even having a language in common. Somehow, a child’s play crosses the barrier and, when paired with another, they make up their own rules along the way. Many adults should take notes.

It will be great to see everyone again. My brother and his fiancée. My nephew and his [latest] girlfriend, whom I have never met. My niece and her little girl, whom I have also not yet met. My friends. My godson. I have one friend coming up from the south of Sweden so we can get together with some of our old classmates. THAT is going to be fun. Some of them I haven’t seen for almost 25 years! Is that possible? HOW is that possible? Some days I still feel like that very self-assured person I was at 18, but most days I am convinced I haven’t a clue. But, somewhere along the way I picked up a little bit of wisdom and a few life experiences that have made me the person I am today. Not self-assured, but God-assured, because without Him I’m sure I would have perished.

Keep me in your prayers, as I travel 4,655 miles with a very active, almost-4-year-old.

The Bug is Back

So, honestly, I was getting a little concerned that I would never again want to sit down and make anything. But, yesterday I felt the need to go to the bead store. I guess it’s a need like someone else might need to feed themselves, or … well, basically, it’s an obsession. And an expensive one at that. So, I went to the bead store to look for anything with which I could make something quickly. I just wanted to be able to go home and throw some beads on a wire and call it … whatever it turned into! Well, this is the result of that. A bracelet that wraps around twice with a lovely toggle clasp that can’t be seen in this picture. It’s incredibly comfortable to wear, but I realize I will have to make it longer if it’s going to fit anyone besides myself. Thankfully, that’s not a big deal, though. I’m just very grateful that the beading bug is back and that I don’t have to figure out what to do with all my supplies!

Since I was on a roll, I also made matching earrings and a triple-strand necklace of yellow turquoise heishi beads, but that’s another picture for another day (or for my Etsy site).

Flowery thoughts

Look at this gorgeous Thai silver toggle clasp I just bought at my favorite local bead store, KMarie Beads. Isn’t it fantastic! I have a really neat idea for it, just not the time to execute it right now. In a week, my youngest daughter and I fly to Sweden for 12 days. I haven’t been home in three and a half years ... it’ll be truly great to see everyone again. Busy, but great! And when we come back home again (yes, it’s “home” either way I go!), I will have a week while the girls are at their dad’s, so maybe then I can get some new jewelry pieces made and listed on Etsy.