Now I am working on a pair of earrings for my best friend. She paid for them at the launch party. She wants them like a pair I have already made but in different colors. I will try to post a picture tomorrow.

The kids are finally better, now my older daughter broke her hand while we were bowling. Kids!  I am working on a bracelet for a little girl. The customer bought a bracelet I had made and he wanted another one for his other little girl. The first one said Make-a-Wish and had yellow beads and cresent moons. He wanted the second one to be pink and purple. I didn't have the same charms I put on the first one so I substituted some nice beads. I am posting pictures of the first and the second one.

I haven't done much work the last few days. I am just getting over a nasty cold. Now all 3 of my kids have the same cold. The older two are staying home from school and the baby wants to be held all of the time so they are keeping me pretty busy. I have to make time tomorrow to get some work done.

Here is a picture of what I have been working on. The pink bracelet is for my neighbor's little girl and I made 2 boys necklaces. I have several customers who ordered jewelry for their little girls but didn't order anything for their little boys so I thought I would make something to offer them. If they don't want it I can always sell it another time. I think sometimes people don't realize that I can make masculine pieces.

Went to JoAnn's today to buy fabric for a couple of projects. I have never been in that store before. I had fun looking around and I will definitely go back there. I am working on some children's bracelets now. I will try to post pics soon.

I have finished the bracelet that I have been working on. I am posting a picture of it and also the fabric that inspired it.

I have been working on the same bracelet for the last 2 days. I wasn't sure about the colors so I checked with the customer. She likes it so I am trying to get it finished. I will try to post a picture tomorrow.

Here is a picture of the friendship style bracelets all finished and in the box waiting for pick up.  One of my customers wants a bracelet to match a fabric swatch that she sent to me. The first thing I did was go to the bead store and buy the colors to match the fabric. Then when I sat down to design the bracelet I thought it was going to be extremely hard to make a design to match the fabric. The fabric has a lot of swirls and colored circles. Circles can be really hard to make on the loom. Once I got started on it I realized it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I made a design and I think it turned out really well. I am really excited to get started on it.

I am working on 2 friendship style bracelets. They are for 2 boys with their school colors. I will try to post pictures tomorrow.

Most of you know that I have a heart condition. I have an artificial valve and it is getting old and worn out. Because of this I have been having a lot of problems lately. I found out on Friday that my cardiologist is trying to schedule the surgery to replace the valve within a month. I am going to try my best to get as many of the orders I have finished before then. I just ask for patience while I am recovering after the surgery. I hope to get back to beading as soon as possible afterwards. Thank you for all the support.

All finished! I feel like it took me a lot longer than it should have but I finally finished the bracelet. I like the way it turned out and the recipient is meeting me on Sunday to get it.

I am just about finished with the beading portion of the bracelet. Then I have to sew on the fabric and it will be done. Then I have a bunch of other projects to work on.

Just wanted to post a picture of the project I am working on. It is a bracelet for someone I met at the launch party. She wanted a diagonal design with thin and thick stripes for her brother.

I went to the bead store this morning. I had a really hard time finding the colors I wanted. I ended up going to another store in Puyallup that is more expensive but I finally got what I needed. I got the colors I need to work on 4 or 5 projects. I am starting on one project tonight and I will post a picture of it tomorrow.

March 7

Yesterday and today I have been working on the designs for all the bracelet orders I got at the launch party. I have one bracelet that needs to be finished first because it is for a birthday gift. It has been really fun. I like making designs almost as much as I like the actual beading. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow.

Launch Party

The party was great! A lot of people showed up. Almost everyone bought something. Several people put in custom orders. So I will have work to keep me busy. I thought I would be very nervous. I was at first but as soon as people came in they would look at the pieces and ask me questions. Everyone was so nice and seemed to really like my work so I wasn't nervous anymore. I had fun and felt very comfortable. Kristi had some lilac branches set in a nice vase to hang some of my jewelry from. It was a great idea and looked really nice. I really appreciate Phil and Kristi for all their help and for opening up their home for the party.

Day 28

Last day before the Launch Party. I finished the earrings I was making for myself. Also made a matching bracelet. They all match the shirt I'm going to wear. I feel a little calmer today. Phil and Kristi  (my good friends who make all this possible) assured me that they are all set to host the party tomorrow. I hope to make a little time in the morning to finish up a couple of pieces. I also am going to have a project in progress to show at the party. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Day 27

I am getting more and more nervous the closer we get to the Launch Party. I like to be very organized, it makes me feel more in control. So I designed and printed forms for people who want to order custom pieces at the party. I also typed up my prices. I need to finish a few more pieces before Saturday. I hope I can do it. I get upset with myself if I don't meet the goals I set for myself. I will post more tomorrow on what pieces I am working on.

Day 26

Only a few more days until the Launch Party. I have to admit I'm pretty nervous. I'm sure it will go well but it's all new to me and I tend to be a little shy. Luckily a lot of people who are coming are people I know or have met. I also am starting to feel rushed because there is several projects I want to get done before the party. I have a bunch of appointments this week and I am trying to get projects done at the same time. It's a challenge but at least it is something I enjoy doing.

Day 25

It was a really busy day. I managed to get some work done on the current project. I wish I'd had time to do more. Oh well, tomorrow another day. I would love some comments and/or suggestions if anyone has any.