Wheee! *flailing around* I am very nervously busy today, and will be for the next couple of days! I am getting my things together for my big TV debut! I am driving to Cleveland tomorrow, to tape for the PBS show Beads, Baubles, and Jewels on Thursday! Its very exciting, but I am also a little bit scared, as I have never done anything quite like this. But you don't grow unless you take risks and do things to push yourself, right?

My plan is to talk a little bit about steampunk, and its influence in fashion and in jewelry, and then demo a pendant made with Vintaj brass and a steampunk inspired ceramic stone, like the one above. I am feeling a bit unprepared, even though I have been thinking about it and have had it going through my head constantly for a couple of weeks now, since I met the producer at the Bead & Button Show. I think I am going to spend the rest of the day getting my notes and samples prepared, and getting myself ready as well... maybe a little spa treatment is a good idea?

I won't have much time once I get home to blog on Thursday, after the taping. I will probably run and do some shipping and errands, but then I am being whisked away early on Friday up to the North, for a wedding and a little weekend vacation. I will need it after the next few days. I will check in when I can, but until then, I hope you wish for me to break a leg (or whatever you tell someone who is going on tv...*giggle*) Whee!

Happy Fourth of July! I am heading out to a BBQ with my friends in a few minutes, but I have just enough time to post the Extra Extra links for this week. I have been balancing hard work with fun really well this week... having a couple of birthday celebrations for my brother's birthday while working on my big order and preparing for a very exciting opportunity coming up this coming week (OMG wait til I tell you all about THIS!) Today is more of the same... beadmaking and BBQ. Whee!

The other day, I posted about a bracelet I made with some Swarovski crystal beads that I got from from ArtBeads.com. This is a necklace I made on the same day, with the two leftover Swarovski Crystal Rings in Light Smoked Topaz. I really like the way the color of the crystals work with the Rusty Engine glaze on my Toolbox Treasures, combined with the natural brass. I am such a sucker for any shade of brown! I also love the deco/nouveau style of the Vintaj components and how they remind me of clock hands and parts for some reason. The long lariat design of the necklace seems to work well with the brass and crystal for an art nouveau sort of style. This was a very simple project to make: just a few jump rings and head pin twists. I'm thinking I will submit this one as a project to a magazine somewhere, I have just been really lacking the time to send in submissions. Ah well, time to get ready for a sushi party tonight! Happy Birthday to my brother, Jeremy!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock! That old saying about having too much time on your hands... well, that does not apply to me, lately. I have a big old pile of tasks to do and beads to make, and somehow that pile seems to be growing! Time is slipping away from me and I am scrambling, but I feel great. Just trying to keep up...

For example, I started this bracelet in my booth at the Bead & Button Show. I had received a delicious shipment of 6 Swarovski Crystal Rings from ArtBeads in May to blog about, and wasn't able to make anything in the days leading up to the show. But I found some time at the show, and started the bracelet. And I just finished it this week and just took the photos yesterday.

Anyway, this crystal ring bead is a style of the many kinds of Swarovski crystal beads that I have not used before. When I ordered them, I had just started making the Toolbox Treasure links, so I had a piece like this in mind, and I chose earthy colors in Olivine and Crystal Copper. I love the way they look with my Desert Pine and Rusty Engine glazes. The faceted rings are neat, because they have a small hole running through, in addition to the large central hole, so there are a variety of different ways to use them. I chose to use a headpin on each side, strung through the bead from the center, so I could wire wrap them, leaving the center hole open. I think it would be fun to trap a little bead inside the ring, too.

I am really pleased with this bracelet design. I like the colors and the little clock charm, and how it works with the subtle gear and industrial markings on the Toolbox links. The faceted rings add a bit of elegance and sparkle to the bracelet too.

I mentioned that I ordered 6 rings, and only 4 are shown here. Tomorrow, I will show you what I did with the other two.

I mentioned that I have big news! The news is that I will be teaching on a Bead Cruise this January! Heather Powers, who is a great friend and fellow bead maker, has invited me to teach at this amazing venue! I am offering three classes: The Filigree Heartfire Workshop is an all day class using brass filigree and porcelain heart pendants to make a variety of pendants. The Fanciful Faces Workshop focuses on filigree with faces shaped porcelain stones to create pendants. Finally the Natural Ornaments Workshop uses filigree wraps and beads to create natural, earthy pendants.

I am so very excited for this opportunity! I have never been on a cruise before! And I am also excited to begin teaching again. I have missed it. So this is a very exciting thing for me to look forward to this winter. I hope you will consider joining us. Here is a little more info, and please stop by the Bead Cruise website for even more details.
 

I had a fun day yesterday in Cleveland at an engagement party BBQ... it was a gorgeous day for it, and I had great company there and on the drive to and from Cleveland. Good times! Today, I made up for my day off with a mostly work filled day. I am getting my beads made and crossed off my list, slowly but surely. I have some big news to share tomorrow! whee! Heading out for dinner in a minute, but I wanted to share the Extra links for the week now.

The other day, I snapped a picture of this box full of Steam Stones I needed to sand for one of my orders. I am happy to report that I finished it yesterday, although I still have almost 200 more to make. I bisque fired them last night and spent some time this morning with my coffee, sitting outside sorting them. I was confused and disappointed to find that my numbers were off. I am terrible with numbers, but something really wasn't adding up. I came inside and looked around and found another box of them (already sanded, yay!) hiding under my couch! Seriously, I can't even keep track at this point! lol. Beads everywhere!

So while I spend the rest of the morning looking for more beads under the furniture, I thought I would leave you with news about Rings and Things new contest. They are giving away $50 gift certificates to the winners of their Product Review contest. Seriously! The chance for free bead money just for reviewing some of their products, how awesome is that? Hop on over to the Rings and Things blog for details.

Ok, I am off to work some more. I hope to spend today making beads with friends around. I had enough of yesterday's storm and staying locked up and gloomy with all the sad news, like MJ's death. He was one of my first crushes, and some of the first music that I loved and called "my own". It's been great to hear all the old tunes over the last day... some great music from that man over the years.