FOUR Etsy packages in one day!

I didn't realize how much I spoiled myself with the items I seized from some of Etsy's finest. You gotta be quick with these stores. Items sell quick and you gotta get in there! Just don't get in there when I'm shopping!

These are the contents of the opened parcels:

I actually slowed myself down to enjoy the opening of some of the most wonderful items I have yet to purchase from Etsy. Of course I took some pictures to document the occasion for future enjoyment and to give props to these artists.

First package is from Paperpeacock created by artist Heather Robinson. MAN! I just looked at her sight and there's already new stuff I want! Here we have some uber cool ceramic work. These buttons (and a super neat treat) have been created with considerable attention to detail in shape, form and color. You gotta check out her wall sculptures too.

Next, it's Sandhra Lee with her handcrafted porcelain pendants and buttons that have a fun energy. AND again she has more items listed that I want. Browse on over there and check out her cool buttons and especially those owls. I love the gator pendant. A group of my friends have a MS Paint gator love that one of the group members moved into the polymer clay gator sculpture world. This gator pendant was like reading my mind! The loot:

Here are the Kylie Parrycreations. They are REALLY durable. I've been having some annoying migraine shakes lately and I dropped the umbrella pendant. Of course it would land on my little anvil but the pendant didn't even chip! Such cool designs that each have a unique style. Some how a butterfly flew into my package. Kylie must know magic! =)

Now for the fun metal package from Shannon LeVart of Missficklemedia. All of these metal pieces have been prepared with much time and effort to achieve such beautiful colors and durability. They most deffinitely look so much better in person. Wonderful color shifts and copper sneaking through the patinas. I'm going to have to get some more of these pieces.

Oh and the package I received on Friday from Amanda Davie. The Boston Terrier pendant. It's so smooth and well constructed. Love it! Her packaging is so neat and handmade.

Buy Handmade!

Patina Little Things

I've been collecting some random copper and brass findings or wire wing-dings in order to give them a patina all at once. Some of the pieces were very tiny. This was my solution.
Tulle baggies!

It's a very dark patina but getting the wire guards oxidized was really easy using a tulle bag. I still need to think ahead and get my pieces darkened before I assemble a piece. For example, the necklace I made last night. It's pretty bad lighting but I do live in a basement.

Star Date: 64037.9

Pssh, I'm not that big of a nerd. I just Googled it.
I made some copper bead cages recently. They look neat once they have a patina going on. Well, I think so.
I've been trying to achieve the same look with red brass wire but the 'angles' aren't sharp enough. This is the copper:

Anyhoo, I purchased a handmade Boston Terrier pendant by Amanda Davie and I'm itching like crazy to get it. Etsy goodies in the mail are such a dangerous giddy/high.

Amanda makes awesome jewelry and components. I really really really hope she can make some more unique Boston Terrier items.
I never wanted to be one of 'those animal loving people' that have the bumper stickers, shirts, or sun catchers of their fave pets. But ya know, Boston Terriers are absolutely cool and they beat your kid off the honor roll. So now I've got pictures of my Bostons up in my office and a Boston Terrier computer wallpaper.
It's happening.

Found my older camera

and I found a silly bead video left behind! I'm not drunk in this video, just really dumb. Really. Please note the really dumb messiness! How did I live in such a mess?
R.I.P. Mrs. Messy House. =(

Out of my funk?

I received a little extra cash from the IRS recently. Which is completely weird since I had 'owed' them taxes and gave them a check. But it's like they came back and one upped me and was all like,"Hey lady! Look, you were wrong. Real wrong. So like here's the amount of wrongness you were translated into dollars with interest!" Can you believe those people?!

Yeah, so being all bummed out with this new cash, I had to calm myself down by purchasing some more beads and other handcrafted items from Etsy.

Then all of the sudden this multi-month long funk slightly faded. I'm watching the television and I think how amazing it could be to bead while 'watching' a movie. DUH REBECCA, use the TV table and the Ott Light. So it looked kind of like this:

It's kind of cramped and I keep bumping it. I have to refine this beading/TV thing. Or I could quit watch TV again. =/

I did manage to make a bracelet using some of my new fancy firepolish beads and twirling copper around chop sticks and such. The colors look off in this picture because I'm now living in this dark basement. Boo Hoo for me!

Picture please:

The Mykonos square beads appear to have such a rich color but in the real world they are so subtle and nicely compliment the focal glass bead. I wish there was some kind of high tech liver-of-sulfur pen that you could use to give small areas of copper a nice patina. Then you wouldn't have to mix up a new cup all the time. Life is real rough without such pens.

I think I'm going to go eat cake while sitting next to my beads now.

67 Degrees

This weather is awesome! Good thing I'm in a big brick building with no windows! I'm not missing living in Dallas, Texas right now.

Moving/Beading/Sanity?

Ok, I'm still moving and packing items. I had FIVE trash bags of clothes that I donated to Goodwill! Moving is a great time to reflect on what we actually need as to what we have collected for whatever crazy reason we had at the time. The always popular "I'll need this someday!" excuse is hard to let go of. Probably more difficult to let go of than one of my 100 or more tubes of acrylic paint. Seriously, what am I going to do with all this paint before it loses its umpf!?
Books. Those are trouble. I love my books but there are just too many. How do you tell a book that you still love it but it just has got to go? Currently, I have four stacks of books that I should have taken to Goodwill weeks ago but of course they are still sitting in the bedroom.
BEADING. OH BEADING. I haven't beaded for almost two months now. Basically, forever! However, yesterday my good friend Debbie, the bead-buying-pusher, tipped me off on a bead store that was closing in town. The sale was just amazing. 75% off loose beads and 50% off strands! There were even firepolish picasso finish strands for $1. ONE DOLLAR!
Let me type that one more time.
ONE DOLLAR.
Ok, so I walk into this store I've never been in and the first strand I pick up I fall in bead love with. It's a bead I haven't seen before. Beautiful egg shaped, microfaceted, deep black fire agate. I see a tag of $40+ and think about the damn budget I'm on. I put the strand down. Some lady comes in and picks up the same strand and mentions how beautiful it is (YES IT IS GORGEOUS!) The shopkeeper says, "Oh, that's only $7.50."
!!!!!!!!!
Important lesson learned: Just grab all the freaking beads you like until check out and then find out the real price or you will be kicking yourself.
The End.