Fourth Thursday - Art At Night

Here's a photo I took this evening during Fourth Thursday. The studios stay open until about 8:00 p.m. or thereabouts. Philip and I were there and shared a bottle of wine. He had lemon pound cake, too, but I told him not to give me any food. I said I was yearning for a filet mignon and some potato chips. But neither of those were forthcoming, and anyway they're not on my diet.

Today was my day off, but I spent time this morning working on the scanned images that I created yesterday. I took all my etching plates that have ground on them and scanned them into my computer. It was very easy and went quite quickly. I'll try doing some more scanning, maybe tomorrow. I thought I might scan in my drawings. I've got dozens of sketchbooks with drawings in them. And I have a group that I used colored felt tip pens on. Those could be scanned, too. I like the idea of scanning in my drawings and using them on my blog or website, so that they don't remain unseen in my bookcase.

I'm still working on the amulet purse I started on September 15. The purse itself is now mostly done unless I want to add to the front flap. The strap is almost done. I believe I can get it done by tomorrow unless I have a large number of distractions. Then I want to add fringe. I've been looking at examples of amulet purses. Many of them seem to have fringe that's rather overpowering. I'd like to avoid that. It may not be possible if there are so many created in the same fashion. I just have to try and see.

After I finish this purse, I'd like to start another one. I know that if I do, I'll want to work on it until it's finished. That's what I've been doing with the current one. But then I think about some of the other items I should be working on, like necklaces to display my enamel pendants and the ceramic ones. Also, I'd like to make some pearl necklaces and maybe bracelets. Everyone seems to love pearls. And my delicate necklaces and bracelets made with gold-filled wire are almost gone as well. There's a great deal I could do to increase my inventory for the fall and winter seasons.

Besides making amulet purses, I'd like to make one or several bracelets or necklaces that have cabochons set in them with beads. I have a number of stone cabochons that Jon made and now I also have one that is made from a piece of glass he blew that cracked or broke. He cuts up his broken pieces and turns them into wonderful cabochons and even some faceted shaped "gems." What I really would like to find are some very large faceted glass "gems" to incorporate into a beaded bracelet, but I don't know where to find them. I'll have to hunt around some more.

Website In the Sky

Here's a photo I took on Saturday. No, actually it was on Friday when the weather was still nice. It is sky writing and it says; "Shop Zappos.com." It turns out that Zappos sells athletic shoes among other things. I assumed that it had something to do with the Red Bull air races that were taking place in San Diego Harbor. But I suppose it may not have unless they thought the folks at the races would be in their target audience. I don't know whether they would be. Seeing the sky writing is kind of like the pair of shoes I saw that had a website written on the insole. The internet seems to be here to stay. I don't anybody can argue with that.

Philip and I talked about my website, about updating it. I need to start watching the tutorials online so I can learn to use Web Expressions. I thought that I would be able to give up the computer by now, but technology is sucking me back in. And I admit, I do enjoy it on a certain level. There's certainly a great deal more that we can do these days compared to the days when the PC had a text-based interface. Now everything is so pretty and decorative.

Today is one of my days off from the studio, so I went visiting. My cousin, who is about 12 years older than me, was showing me some artwork she had found on the internet. She purchased a very interesting original linoleum print at the swap meet and then proceeded to research it online. And she spent time talking about how wonderful the internet is for doing research. She's right, of course, but I couldn't help thinking that those of us who are older aren't as likely to feel very comfortable or knowledgeable about the computer. So she's doing very well, I'd say. I was fortunate to learn myself when I worked for the military.

The reason I went to visit my cousin originally was to pick up some beads that she found when she was doing some cleaning out of things. I'm happy to have them because they're not my typical style. It's always nice to work with something that you might not have picked out for yourself. I use to enjoy going shopping with a friend of mine who always managed to direct my attention to something that I wouldn't have noticed on my own. For an artist, I feel remarkably unobservant at times.

Besides going to get beads from my cousin, I suppose this was a day when I spent almost no time on my artwork or shopping for supplies. It was nice, actually. I really feel like I had a day off for a change.

Recognizing the Omphalos

Here's a photo I took when I first arrived at Spanish Village on Saturday morning. It had rained some in the night, and it rained about 10:30 that morning as well, for about half an hour. I spent the day inside my studio, partly because it rained early, but also because I forgot to take my chair in and it was wet. I had taken it in on Wednesday when I took down both umbrellas, but then I brought it out.

By the time I was ready to leave on Saturday, it was dry. Then there was talk of more rain Saturday night, but there wasn't any, and so yesterday I could sit in it with no problem. It's been cool, though. Now they're predicting that we might have some more warmer weather, but my table is now in the shade almost all day. Several people have asked me about my umbrellas, but I think I might leave them inside until next year.

One idea I had today was that I should get Jon to put a post on my table, so I could hang a lamp from it. I could use it on cloudy days and it might make me more noticeable. Certainly, I can bring a lamp out from inside, but it might be nice to have one already there that I could just plug into my extension cord that reaches the table. Normally I use it for my computer and printer, but there's no reason why I couldn't have a lamp as well. It might add a cozy feeling to a dreary day. But the fact remains that it's getting cooler and the days are getting shorter. This is the third or fourth day in a row when I sat outside and thought about getting my sweatshirt to put on.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on my amulet purse. I've mostly finished the purse itself, and this weekend was spent working on the strap. However, I didn't work as many hours on it as I did last weekend. For one thing, when I sat inside on Saturday, I was distracted by the computer. I spent time looking for bead and cross-stitch patterns. I wasn't very successful, but I always feel as though I need to look anyway.

On Saturday a friend of mine was looking at my etchings and drawings and said she say all kinds of things in them. Later she wrote me an email that said some of the structures reminded her of open-pit diamond mines and also of an omphalos. Omphalos is the Greek word for navel. Delphi was located on the center or navel of the earth, and there are photographs of the omphalos that was located at Delphi. It's the center of the earth, of life, the beginning.

In any case, her comments inspired me to bring them out and work on them some more. I'd like to incorporate the omphalos in my enameling and beadwork as well as the etching. So much to do, so many directions to explore.

Working Away

Here's a photo that I changed the color of. It is a photo of one of my etching plates with the ground still on it, before I etched it. I used PhotoShop to change the colors. I admit I'm partial to pink and green. I guess I'm really a girl at heart, no matter how much I want to think I'm a liberated woman.

Anyway, my idea is to take some of my etching photos like this one and turn them into greeting cards and include my poems on them, or maybe just portions of my poems. I know that everyone here at Spanish Village who has had greeting cards has ultimately stopped carrying them. Some of the artists have said that people will buy a card rather than a painting. And some say it takes too long to assemble them. But my purpose for making and selling them would be to look at them as a vehicle for my poetry and my etchings which almost never sell in my studio anyway.

I started another blog called mgEspe in which I'm using my poetry and some of the photographs. I'll go on with it. I really like blogging even if it's not the best way to publish my writing. But I like having a presence on the web and it's certainly easier than having a website at this point. Well, that is, it's easier than creating a new website for my poetry, an idea I had quite a long time ago but never put into practice.

I tried to get online last night, but for some reason I couldn't connect. However, Philip pointed out to me the other day that there was a little open spot on the side of my computer. It was for the little anntenae on the side. I found it in the bottom of my carrying case this morning. So it may have affected my ability to connect at home. Maybe not though because I connected at work and also at my parents' house. So I don't know what the problem is.

I spent yesterday morning buying beads. I went three different places to find everything that I needed. I'm still working on my amulet purse. I have sewn the sides up and added a flap although I want to make the flap longer. Then I'm thinking of adding a rivoli for embellishment. Rivolis are crystals that are essentially one sided and round with facetting like a gemstone, sort of. I have been seeing them in some of the magazines and books and wanted to try attaching some to a project using a peyote bead bezel. Then I also want to add fringe to my bag and make a strap to hang it from. I've put 25 hours into it already, and I can't say how much longer it will take to finish it. It's for me, but I'd like to make more of them. They're not cost effective, but I'd still like to make them.

Catching Up

Here's a photo I took several days ago out in front of one of the studios. When I saw it, I wondered how a plant could have grown up and been in full bloom seemingly overnight. But it's not a plant. It's just some flowers that someone put there. It's lovely though. Too bad we don't have more plants like it around. Mostly we have succulents which are very interesting, but they're not large and exuberant like this. They tend to be small and subtle. Sometimes you have to look very closely at them to see their colors and blooms. They do attract a lot of attention though.

Yesterday I was off, but I still wound up going to one of the bead suppliers that I like. I just went to get some Fire Line, a steel "string" that I use for beadweaving. They were out of it, but I still wound up buying a variety of beads including some crystals for my amulet bag. However, I realize that I really need to take the bag with me so that I can get the color I like best.

I was also looking for some large fake jewels that I could embroider onto a bracelet. They didn't have what I was looking for exactly, but I did get some big crystal beads. Anyway, they say on the label that they're crystal, but I'm not sure. They have a slight aqua tint to them, but I think I can change the color if I put them against various colored seed beads.

And I got some strands of pearls. I can't ever seem to resist buying a few strands. Recently I've been trying to find small ones. Most everything is large now because of the way they're produced. Freshwater pearls are produced in mussles, not oysters. And they live on farms. They have a nice life. They don't lose their lives when the pearls are harvested. They can make more than one pearl at a time and they are implanted with pieces of shells, so they can wind up being very large pearls if the pieces of shell that are implanted are large.

But I want little pearls that I can use in my beadweaving. I made one bracelet with some pearls on it and sold it already. I think I have to be careful not to use white pearls, but I think the colored ones are nice. Some of them have an aurorea borealis look to them that is like some of the beads and crystals. Of course, sometimes it's good to have a contrast, like matte finish beads with some sparkly ones. My next project is going to be a bead embroidered necklace on a background of black matte beads.

Enjoying Tedium

Here's a photo I took this afternoon. I uploaded it to my service provider's site and then downloaded it to my computer. I prefer downloading it from my memory card, but it seems to be malfunctioning, so this is the second best option. It worked pretty well. Sometimes the site is really slow, but I didn't feel as though I had to wait very long tonight.

Anyway, this is a project I've been working on all weekend. It now has approximately 20 hours worth of work in it. It will be an amulet purse when it's finished. I plan to wear it myself and keep my drivers license and credit card in it. Unfortunately we've experienced some thefts at Spanish Village and so I don't like to leave my wallet in my studio or even lying unattended in a bag on my worktable. So this is the solution. Or, it will be.

I'm finally getting so that I can do peyote stitch pretty well. There are several mistakes near the top of the piece, but it gets better as I worked on it. And I find that I really enjoy making it. It's very repetitious, but I find it meditative. And I'm looking forward to putting some embellishments on the piece. I'll add some fringe at the bottom and make a strap of some sort to hang it around my neck. I'd like to put a piece of my enamel or etching on the outside of it with some other beads.

I spent a great deal of time this morning looking at and downloading photos of bead embroidery. I love the look of it, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of making jewelry that includes some kind of fabric or leather backing to it. I would rather make the foundation out of beads and then embroider on top of it. In fact, I think that's what I'll try after I've made several more bags. Well, actually I can embroider the next bag I make.

The piece in the photo is about 5 inches by 6 inches or 30 square inches. I've worked on it for 20 hours, so that means I can make about 1.5 square inches per hour. That would be something good to keep in mind. Anyway, the embroidery has appeal for me, because it would be more free flowing than the plain stitching is. I have some patterns for pieces made with peyote and straight stitch that I could use, and I like the idea of doing a piece in which all the beads are counted and of certain colors depending on the pattern, I'd like to create the pattern myself, from my own artwork, but I think I may find it hard to concentrate on counting when there are people around, especially on the weekends. I guess I'll just have to try it and see. In the meantime, I enjoy making up patterns as I go along. And it's easier to work in a striped pattern than on a piece that's all one color.

What Happened To My Time

Here's a photo I took several weeks ago. I'm glad I did, because this necklace was sold last weekend. I remember that when I made it, I followed a pattern I had developed and used to make another necklace, I had used larger beads. So when I made this necklace, it came out a little shorter and wouldn't have fit just anyone. In fact I considered it a little too tight to wear myself. But I let one of my friends wear it to a party. The woman who bought it said she had a skinny neck. I told her I thought she'd make a good model. She had a nice long neck, very elegant and pretty.

Today, I spent some time working on a beaded bead, something I've been trying on and off for awhile. Recently I had the idea of using very thin wire instead of thread so that they would retain their shapes better than the ones made with thread. So I did manage to make a bead, but I realized that I can't use the size 11 seed beads. The holes in them are not large enough to pass the wire through more than two times at the most. Fortunately, I just purchased some larger seed beads yesterday that I was able to use. They are size 6 and 8. The higher then number, the smaller the bead in this case.

I took a photo of the bead, but unfortunately the memory card in my phone isn't functioning properly,so I couldn't upload it to my computer to use here. That might be a good thing though because it will force me to start using the camera that Philip loaned me quite some time ago. Then I'll have better photos to use on my website as well as here and for other promotional material.

Yesterday, I bought a portable laminator. Well, maybe it was day before yesterday. I would like to laminate some of my drawings, stamps, maybe etchings, and use them to make jewelry. It would be more of a fun jewelry or it could be serious jewelry that has a message to it. I've been wanting to incorporate text into my work, but I haven't been able to find a very satisfactory way to do so. This might be a good one.

The other idea that I had was to apply paint to some of my handcarved stamps and then stamp them on copper and etch the copper. Then I've thought that I could back copper pieces with beads so the green oxidation doesn't rub off on your skin. Gosh, there's so much to try, so much to do. When will I find time?

Still Learning

Here's a photo I took several days ago. It was made from some of the same pearls that compose the beaded bead that I mentioned several days ago. They're green stick pearls. I like them. Lots of people seem to.

I'm feeling a little frustrated because I spent time last night writing in my blog and then the wireless network went down, I guess, and I lost my post. I'm sure I should probably compose it in my word processor first so that I don't lose it. But I should back up my hard drive, too, and I don't. And having lost my hard drive several times, I know better. I even have a very large external hard drive that I could use. It would be easy. The computer is so nice when it works, and when it doesn't it's such a drag. I admit I don't have much patience for broken or malfunctioning equipment.

Yesterday at work some of the artists were laughing and teasing me. I had my laptop, my cellphone, my bluetooth charger, my MP3 player, and my printer all spread out on my worktable in a big jumble that included strings and tubes of beads all mixed in with wire and scissors and who knows what else. I couldn't get my bluetooth to work, I couldn't pull up a photo I had taken with my cellphone. The bluetooth problem was operator error. I haven't used it enough to really know what to do all the time. But the cellphone isn't working very well. I admit I've dropped it several times and that doesn't help. I need to take it and get it replaced. I just haven't made the time recently.

I spent some of my time today searching for beads. I still feel as though I don't have enough different colors of seed beads. I guess I'll always feel that way. I fall in love with the way they look, and I buy them. The seed beads especially are so seductive that way. They're such beautiful colors. But I'm still having a problem with some colors like fushia and lavendar.

I've been working on the bracelet that I started Sunday afternoon. The pattern is almost complete, but it's getting too long. It's nice though, and I've considered making it into a purse by adding more rows on the side, or . . . . I don't know. The thing is that I enjoy it so much that it doesn't seem to matter. I'll just make another one. Or I should say, I'll just keep making more until I get some that are satisfactory. I thought of an idea for a clasp for the other bracelet that I think would work. I'll try that tomorrow. I really like it. It's one of those pieces that I tell myself I'm going to keep. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't.

Lines Of Beads

Here's a bracelet I made this weekend. It took me about 12 hours to make. In this shot, it's only about three quarters done, maybe somewhat more. It has several design problems. I wound up making it a little too long. I could shorten it, or just keep it for myself. And the clasp arrangement isn't quite right.

Clasps are a problem. I don't want to spend so much money on clasps that I tie up all my capital in clasps, but I also don't want them to be cheap ones that make the jewelry look as though it were made by a hobbyist. I want it to look professional. So I spend a great deal of time thinking about and attempting to design clasps.

The idea I had for this bracelet didn't work very well, because the wire was too thin. But it couldn't have been thicker and fit through the beads. However, I found another idea for a clasp in one of the books I have. I'll try it on the next bracelet. Actually, the second one is getting close to being done. It's not as wide as this one, so it goes faster, and I think I'm getting better and faster as time progresses.

Today was my day off, but I did spend some time looking at bead books in one of the bookstores near me, hoping to find something to really inspire me. I wasn't terribly successful, but I got one that seems interesting. And I've been spending time in the evening looking through the bead books. There are so many and each time I look I see something new and different that I didn't register before.

Using Computers To Help

Here's a photo I took the other day. It's a cabachon that Jon made. The photo isn't very good, because you can see all the heavenly colors it has in it. What I did was cover the back and part of the front with a bead woven bezel. Since the cabachon has no hole in it, there's no way to attach it to anything except with a bezel or with prongs in a setting. This way, the beaded covering can now be attached to a necklace or other object. My plan is to attach it to an amulet bag that I've been working on. But making a little beaded bag is a time consuming proposition.

I'm trying to create a pattern on the beaded bag that echoes the pattern in the stone itself. An idea that I have is to take a clear photograph of it and then translate it using a graphing program. I could plot it out by hand on graph paper I suppose, but the program would certainly make it very easy. I spent time this afternoon looking at bead and counted cross stitch programs that enable you to take a photo or a scan and import it into the program. Then the program automatically translates it into a chart that you can follow.

One thing that's nice about the charting programs is that they also allow you to "draw" on the digital graph paper and then "color" in the shapes. In that respect, it's like one of those old Paint programs on Windows. Well, I suppose the Paint program is still part of Windows, but I haven't used it for ten or twelve years. And the Paint program didn't create the graphs.

The charting program is an obvious use of the computer. And I've known about them for about ten years as well. I worked in an office where several of my co-workers use that kind of program to create counted cross stitch patterns. I wish I'd had a program like that in the days when I was doing counted cross stitch. It certain would have made life easier. I think about getting back to some counted cross stitch, but I don't have time. Anyway, I can achieve the same kind of affect with beads and that fits in with what I'm doing now. The question is whether I want to spend enough time going in that direction to warrant spending the money for the software program. I'll have to think about it.

Recently, I gathered together all my jewelry photos from various folders on my computer and copied them into a folder that I point the Windows screensaver to. That way, when I don't type on the computer for awhile, I get a stream of photos of my own and other people's jewelry. I've also included fabric samples to use as color schemes. And I find that I'm really enjoying the jewelry. The photos that come up on the screen are larger than the ones that I look at as icons in the folders and so I can see more detail. The other thing is that I'm a firm believer in catching a glimpse of something. I'll glance at a photo just as it fades away and get an impression that I wouldn't get if I look straight ahead at it and study it. Sometimes a glimpse like that will give a good suggestion that you wouldn't get otherwise. I try to take advantage of those moments in life.

Making Jewelry I Like

Here's a photo of a necklace I made several weeks ago. It's a contrast between the black and the yellow green with the dark blue and the yellow as a contrast to the other two colors. Contrast is important, especially with this kind of necklace. Of course, the whole length could be one color or two similar colors, but then it wouldn't be so eye-catching.

Of course, eye-catching is not what everyone wants. I personally like to wear accessories that are eye-catching, that stand out, that people make remarks about. But I don't think everyone feels that way. And I know there are times when I'm not in the mood to spend a lot of time talking to people about an eye-catching piece of jewelry that I'm wearing. Because that is what happens. If you wear something eye-catching, people will comment. Sometimes I stop to talk about my jewelry, and sometimes I just say "thank you" when they compliment me and don't bother to tell them that I made it myself.

I know that some of my jewelry is the type that not many women chose to wear. They don't want to wear something dramatic. And a lot of women think, mistakenly or not, that they can't wear a large and/or dramatic piece of jewelry. I hear women say that all the time when they see the enamel pendants that I've made, that they can't wear something that big or they won't wear something like that and do I have something smaller.

The choice I have to make is: do I make enough different kinds of jewelry that everyone will find one they love or do I stick to the dramatic pieces? I tend to prefer the dramatic myself although a fair number of my pieces aren't so dramatic. There is one thing however that I do know about making jewelry. I have to make what I like myself. As soon as I try to make a piece in a color scheme that I don't like, or a style I don't like, I can't finish the piece or I can't get it to look right. So I'm forced to make things I like myself and would wear. Otherwise, the piece just doesn't work out. And then people don't respond the way they would if they can sense that I love the colors and the materials.

Today I spent most of the day on one necklace made with various colors of green seed beads as well as pearls and yellow-green Chinese crystals. I got the pearls yesterday and started to make what I thought was a bracelet last night. Today, it turned into a necklace. The idea I had for the bracelet didn't work out. The necklace is coming along pretty well, but I think I will reserve final judgement until I see the finished piece.

Always Working On Some Idea

Here's a photo I took several days ago. It shows my new umbrella, the green one on the right. It gives me a great deal of shade. This photo was taken late in the day, so you can see the sun is shining on the table. That doesn't happen until about 6:00 p.m. these days. Later in the year, I'll be glad to have the sun but right now it makes me very warm. Well, really. . . VERY HOT. The weather has been in the high 80's these last few days, much warmer than our usual 72 to 75 degree weather. We're so use to temperate weather that we complain if it gets more than a few degrees warmer or cooler. And in several months we'll wish we had this warm weather and long days back again.

Today was my day off, but I went to one of the bead suppliers that I frequent. After making the bead pictured in my previous post, I realized that I wanted to get some smaller pearls that I could use with the seed beads. Most of the pearls I have now are larger, really too big for what I want to make. So I found some, but the smaller ones are harder to find nowadays. Beads are like everything else: they go in and out of fashion.

Our eye changes. I had occasion to use my father's old laptop which he got in about 1995 if I remember correctly. So it's at least ten to twelve years old. It's a laptop, but it has a different look and proportion to it than the ones we have nowadays. The screen is more square, not the wide screen like we have now. And it is thicker. Of course that's the technology. Everything is getting smaller and lighter. Wires can be thinner and circuitboards smaller with all the components closer together. I like little gadgets. I like little things. I suppose that's why the seed beads are so appealing to me.

One of the problems with the seed beads is their size. I have no trouble working with them during the day. But recently I've been bringing my beads home with me and working on them before and after dinner which my housemate and I usually eat out in the patio. We have light out there, but I find myself struggling at times with the beads and also threading the needle. Sometimes it's hard to see what I'm doing. I find that I'm most likely to have a problem when I'm starting something new. If I stick to my regular stuff, I'm okay.

I've thought about not bringing my work home at all. I wasn't for a long time, but I'm trying to make headway with the seed beads and that's why I'm working ovetime. I'm hoping that will change soon, that things will begin to come together more. And I see some evidence of that. I'm getting the hang of it. When I went to the bead supplier today, they asked me to teach a class. They've asked me before, but I'm shy at this point. I'll give it some thought. I can see that it could supplement my income.

Slow Labor Day

Here's a photo I took last night. It's a beaded bead that I made yesterday. I like making them and plan to make some more. Eventually I'll make a necklace with a lot of beads on it. I'm really beginning to get the idea of adding other beads in with the seed beads to make necklaces that I like. And the advantage of using the larger beads is that I make some pieces that are more substantial. I want to avoid ones that are insipid. It's easy to do with seed beads.

I was going to write an entry in my blog last night, but sometimes I can't get on the free neighborhood network at home. Really, we're very lucky having the network available, and I love being able to sit in my patio or my bedroom and use it. I can use it here at the Village because Philip set up a wireless router, and I can get on the network at my parents retirement complex. My father is now so use to his wireless connection that he is surprised when he finds himself unable to access it. Who would have thought we'd get so spoiled so fast.

I spent time today organizing my photos on my computer. I've downloaded a number of photos of jewelry that I like to look at, and I've photographed various pieces of my own. I put them all together in one directory and set my screensaver to point to that directory. Now when I stop working on my computer so that the screensaver is activated, I see photos of jewelry. I see one photo and I get three ideas. I try to write them down, so I don't forget.

This weekend my enamel teacher is going to be in the Enamel Guild, so I need to spend time this week cutting more pieces in preparation for Saturday. I want to make some new pieces to put out. I created a whole group of enamel pendants earlier in the year and sold a great many of them. I haven't sold any for awhile, but I'll get back to it. I brought them outside yesterday and attracted some attention. That's always good. At least people are responding to them.

In addition to the jewelry in my screensaver, I added some of my etchings that I scanned into my computer awhile back. I have a printer now that scans, and I've thought of making some greeting cards with some of my work. I think people would like having them. When I've worked in other studios where there were greeting cards, they've always been popular. I could incorporate my poetry with the etchings and drawings. I have so many ideas. I just wish I had time.

Trying New Skills

Here's a photo I took several days ago, in the early morning. It looks nice and cool, especially right now when the Vista weather gadget on my computer screen says the temperature is 84 degrees. Fortunately I have a breeze here, so I've been relatively comfortable all day, but soon the sun will drop down below the edge of my umbrella, and then I'll be quite warm.

I spent the entire day working on a bead bezel to surround one of Jon's cabcahons. I have seen a number of necklaces done that way and I admit there are many of them that I don't care for, but I've been intrigued just the same. It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. I started at about 10:00 this morning and it took me until about 4:00. Six hours is a long time, but I'm definitely getting faster and more skilled. By creating the bezel, I also did some peyote stitch, a skill I hadn't mastered until today. Now I have. Of course, each time I learned a new skill, it opens a door to more possibilities.

I have a tendency to think of spending my time at Spanish Village coming up with ideas, being creative, but of course there's also the time spent learning and practicing new skills. If I had been at home today, I doubt I would have spent six hours working on the same project. I probably would have played with my dogs and taken a nap. This was better. I like making things, and I like being productive.

I admit that I like to lie around, napping and eating. However, I'm trying to lose weight and so I've taken up exercising again as well as eating less. My favorite form of exercise is swimming. Actually, I walk back and forth in the water. Frequently when I am there, I'm alone in the pool or maybe there will be one or two other people. When that's the case, I find myself thinking about jewelry projects and solving various problems like making a new type of clasp or bracelet. I enjoy that. Frequently I plan what I'm going to do once I get to the studio. That's a big help to me.

I brought my computer to work today, because Philip said he would help me with a web site program, so I can update my website. So that's a new project for me. I'll watch the videos first and see what I can learn. If I have the computer here on my work table, I can work on it until I get bored and then switch to bead work for awhile. That sounds like a good plan.