...I'm back.
Well, dear reader, you may have noticed, had you gone searching for "Life..Or Something Like It", that it couldn't be found. I decided since I had stopped beadmaking for (almost) 3 years, there really wasn't much point in me keeping it public. But, drum roll please, it's 2012 and 2 Cats Designs is back!
Instead of rambling on incessantly (as I'm want to do), all I will say is that after my "sabbatical", I'm now back to making beads. A LOT has happened in the past 3 or so years - much of it not particularly good (ie. numerous job losses on both my and DH Russ' part, 4 lots of surgery for Russ, the deaths of family & friends, including the sudden death of our much loved Labrador Toby in September of last year, the parting of the ways of friends I held dear, 3 emergency admissions to hospital for me last year - two for pneumonia & one for a DVT [deep vein thrombosis - ie. a blood clot in my leg], major depression and panic attacks (which I'm still being treated for with medication and psychotherapy) and the kicker; I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis [MS] after undergoing 7 months of every test known to man.. the good thing with the MS is that I'm on treatment for it and the neurologists have *never* been able to see any clinical findings when they test me for it - though I do have lesions in my brain and the protein in my spinal fluid that confirms the diagnosis of the condition. I look and act normal (well, as normal as I ever was LOL) and the MS hasn't, so far, affected me other than for a few problems with taste and a bit of numbness in my hands. So all in all, I'm very lucky in that respect. I may be one of the rare breed of MS sufferers who doesn't progress. The truth is that I'm not all that concerned about the loss of use of my legs; I just worry as a beadmaker that it'll end up affecting my arms. That would *not* be good. But all you can do is hope, right?
So yeah whatever, life goes on. Anyway, if you're still with me, dear reader, and you're still interested in listening to my waffling and/or purchasing my beads, here's some links for you.. make sure to join me on Facebook as I probably won't be updating the blog very often (if at all) - I do all my updating on Facebook these days.
Hope to see y'all over on Facebook soon, or at the very least, drop by my store on Etsy and/or eBay to catch my auctions! Oh and FYI, my stupid camera has died and I'm waiting for a new battery and charger to turn up - I have 5 sets of beads to add to eBay and/or Etsy in the coming days, so remember to drop by the links below to check them out:
2 Cats Designs on Facebook
2 Cats Designs on eBay
2 Cats Designs on Etsy
Hope everyone has kept well & safe these past few years and with any luck, I'll be back in touch with you all again!
Love to all & ciao for now,
Sue x
Monday, 19 March 2012
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Ch.. Ch.. Ch.. Changes...
Since so many people have so kindly been inquiring about my life and/or wondering if I will be making beads again soon, I thought I'd update my blog with what's been happening in my little part of the universe.
Firstly, sometime soon (very soon), my website will be going offline - in case you haven't read past posts, it's because my ISP is terminating all free websites shortly, and since I haven't been making beads with anywhere near regularity for well over 12 months, I've decided to let it slide. So shortly (ie. whenever I get off my butt to make the necessary change), my URL of http://2cats.cjb.net should bring you directly here to my blog. If (or when) I make beads again, you'll see it here first.
So, anyway, that should answer one of the questions - no, I haven't made any beads. I'm not even going to bother saying the usual of "soon" as I'm sure by now, you're sick to death of 'hearing' me say that. Suffice to say at some point, hopefully in the not too distant future, I hope to fire up the torch again.
However, there have been some major changes in my life the past few months - particularly since mid August. I made the decision mid August to suddenly (or what may have appeared to be suddenly) leave my job. As many of you know, I'm a self-employed medical transcriptionist and with Russ out of work for almost 2 yrs now, I've been (and still am) the breadwinner - hence the reason I've spent so little time making beads. I spent the past 2.5+ yrs concentrating so hard on my MT work pretty much 24/7 that I had reached the point where something had to give. Although it wasn't an easy decision to leave, it wasn't really a spur of the moment one, but it *was*, I felt, a necessary one. I loved my job, I loved the work, and even now around 6 weeks' later, I still miss it.. Hey ho ...
However, life goes on, and as the saying goes "when one door shuts, another one opens". I'm back to working as a transcriptionist, and alternating between picking up a little work here and there from an interstate transcription company (located in Qld) and starting my own business. It's 'slowly slowly' at the moment, but I'm hopeful of bigger and better things. Ultimately though, I have no intention (or desire) to run a huge company - just enough clients to keep the work steadily rolling in is enough for me. I left the corporate world 100 years ago to get away from too much pressure, I lapsed for 2.5+ yrs in my last job, and ultimately paid the price, particularly emotionally. I'm not going to put myself in that situation again any time soon.
So yep, things aren't perfect, but they're not all bad either. I'm no longer having to work weekends or be on-call 24/7, and although I'm still a little lost at times, ultimately I think I'm a happier person for the decisions I've made. I'm going to take each day as it comes. I'm also hoping that this arrangement will give me enough time (and thereby encourage my muse to return) to start thinking about making beads again soon. I'm not going to push myself, I'll just let it happen - or not happen, as the case may be. I've put too much pressure on myself for too long, and I'm now going to spend a little while enjoying some "me" time. Whatever will be, will be.
So, that's the state of play at the moment. Keep checking the blog every now & then in case I do start melting glass again - as I say, you'll see it here first! In the meantime, thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to send me emails of encouragement - you know who you are, and you KNOW how much I appreciate your kind thoughts.
Ciao for now - Sue.
Firstly, sometime soon (very soon), my website will be going offline - in case you haven't read past posts, it's because my ISP is terminating all free websites shortly, and since I haven't been making beads with anywhere near regularity for well over 12 months, I've decided to let it slide. So shortly (ie. whenever I get off my butt to make the necessary change), my URL of http://2cats.cjb.net should bring you directly here to my blog. If (or when) I make beads again, you'll see it here first.
So, anyway, that should answer one of the questions - no, I haven't made any beads. I'm not even going to bother saying the usual of "soon" as I'm sure by now, you're sick to death of 'hearing' me say that. Suffice to say at some point, hopefully in the not too distant future, I hope to fire up the torch again.
However, there have been some major changes in my life the past few months - particularly since mid August. I made the decision mid August to suddenly (or what may have appeared to be suddenly) leave my job. As many of you know, I'm a self-employed medical transcriptionist and with Russ out of work for almost 2 yrs now, I've been (and still am) the breadwinner - hence the reason I've spent so little time making beads. I spent the past 2.5+ yrs concentrating so hard on my MT work pretty much 24/7 that I had reached the point where something had to give. Although it wasn't an easy decision to leave, it wasn't really a spur of the moment one, but it *was*, I felt, a necessary one. I loved my job, I loved the work, and even now around 6 weeks' later, I still miss it.. Hey ho ...
However, life goes on, and as the saying goes "when one door shuts, another one opens". I'm back to working as a transcriptionist, and alternating between picking up a little work here and there from an interstate transcription company (located in Qld) and starting my own business. It's 'slowly slowly' at the moment, but I'm hopeful of bigger and better things. Ultimately though, I have no intention (or desire) to run a huge company - just enough clients to keep the work steadily rolling in is enough for me. I left the corporate world 100 years ago to get away from too much pressure, I lapsed for 2.5+ yrs in my last job, and ultimately paid the price, particularly emotionally. I'm not going to put myself in that situation again any time soon.
So yep, things aren't perfect, but they're not all bad either. I'm no longer having to work weekends or be on-call 24/7, and although I'm still a little lost at times, ultimately I think I'm a happier person for the decisions I've made. I'm going to take each day as it comes. I'm also hoping that this arrangement will give me enough time (and thereby encourage my muse to return) to start thinking about making beads again soon. I'm not going to push myself, I'll just let it happen - or not happen, as the case may be. I've put too much pressure on myself for too long, and I'm now going to spend a little while enjoying some "me" time. Whatever will be, will be.
So, that's the state of play at the moment. Keep checking the blog every now & then in case I do start melting glass again - as I say, you'll see it here first! In the meantime, thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to send me emails of encouragement - you know who you are, and you KNOW how much I appreciate your kind thoughts.
Ciao for now - Sue.
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Checking In. . .
Don't really know just why I'm bothering to update my blog, as I'm sure any customers I once had have long since given up on me. Oh well, for anyone who may be interested, here's what's been happening.
Absolutely nothing to chat about bead-wise. I haven't fired up the torch since my last set of beads on Feebay (and when *was* that? I can't even remember myself - 2, 3, 4 months ago? Whatever). Any time I do have off (which is very rare as I spend just about every waking moment working in my day job since Russ is still not working) I spend playing games, reading or relaxing. I do have a friend in NZ (hi Lea!) who I have promised I am going to make a bracelet for - free of charge as I want to use it as an excuse to give myself the kick up the you-know-where to melt glass again, but apart from that, I haven't even thought of melting glass.
Not much else happening. The only other thing I can report on is come mid/late September my website will be no more. I've been hosting it for years on the free website my ISP has provided me with, however, they've made the decision that they'll no longer be offering free web hosting. As I don't think I can justify the expense of moving my website elsewhere (or paying my ISP to keep it going) as I hardly ever (never?) make beads these days, I've decided that I'm just going to let it die. I will keep the blog going and when the website goes offline my url of http://2cats.cjb.net will bring you directly here, so if I ever *do* start making beads again, you'll be able to find out by visiting my blog. If or when I begin making beads again on a regular basis, I'll consider bringing the website back, but at the moment, it's not high on my list of priorities.
So, that's really about it for the moment! See you later ;)
Absolutely nothing to chat about bead-wise. I haven't fired up the torch since my last set of beads on Feebay (and when *was* that? I can't even remember myself - 2, 3, 4 months ago? Whatever). Any time I do have off (which is very rare as I spend just about every waking moment working in my day job since Russ is still not working) I spend playing games, reading or relaxing. I do have a friend in NZ (hi Lea!) who I have promised I am going to make a bracelet for - free of charge as I want to use it as an excuse to give myself the kick up the you-know-where to melt glass again, but apart from that, I haven't even thought of melting glass.
Not much else happening. The only other thing I can report on is come mid/late September my website will be no more. I've been hosting it for years on the free website my ISP has provided me with, however, they've made the decision that they'll no longer be offering free web hosting. As I don't think I can justify the expense of moving my website elsewhere (or paying my ISP to keep it going) as I hardly ever (never?) make beads these days, I've decided that I'm just going to let it die. I will keep the blog going and when the website goes offline my url of http://2cats.cjb.net will bring you directly here, so if I ever *do* start making beads again, you'll be able to find out by visiting my blog. If or when I begin making beads again on a regular basis, I'll consider bringing the website back, but at the moment, it's not high on my list of priorities.
So, that's really about it for the moment! See you later ;)
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Makeup Madness. . .
Still no beads for sale. Maybe next weekend (isn't that what I'm always saying lately?).
Anyhoo, as you may (or may not) know, I'm a make-up and skincare junkie. Whenever I like something, I tend to go a little mad and purchase about 10 of the same item and never get around to using the extras I bought. So I've decided to start clearing out my overflowing bathroom cupboards and sell off a few items. Most of them (if not all!) are at bargain basement prices. So far I've listed items from Redpoint, Mirenesse, Joey NY, Revlon, Dermacia, Principal Secret, Pur Minerals and Avon - and there's probably more to come!
So, if you're in the market for some good deals on make-up and/or skin care, then stop by my auctions - you never know, you might find something that appeals to you! Oh, and apologies to my international friends - these are only available to Aussie buyers. With the constant price hikes in postage (and with little time to spare nowadays), I just can't be bothered to muck around with international shipping.
Makeup Madness Auctions on eBay
PS. There's also still 5 copies of 'Creating Lampwork Beads for Jewelry' for sale on eBay too!
Catch you next time! :)
(And yes, I know my website is down - I have no idea why, but can only assume that there's an 'issue' with my website host. Hopefully it will come back online shortly!)
Anyhoo, as you may (or may not) know, I'm a make-up and skincare junkie. Whenever I like something, I tend to go a little mad and purchase about 10 of the same item and never get around to using the extras I bought. So I've decided to start clearing out my overflowing bathroom cupboards and sell off a few items. Most of them (if not all!) are at bargain basement prices. So far I've listed items from Redpoint, Mirenesse, Joey NY, Revlon, Dermacia, Principal Secret, Pur Minerals and Avon - and there's probably more to come!
So, if you're in the market for some good deals on make-up and/or skin care, then stop by my auctions - you never know, you might find something that appeals to you! Oh, and apologies to my international friends - these are only available to Aussie buyers. With the constant price hikes in postage (and with little time to spare nowadays), I just can't be bothered to muck around with international shipping.
Makeup Madness Auctions on eBay
PS. There's also still 5 copies of 'Creating Lampwork Beads for Jewelry' for sale on eBay too!
Catch you next time! :)
(And yes, I know my website is down - I have no idea why, but can only assume that there's an 'issue' with my website host. Hopefully it will come back online shortly!)
Monday, 27 April 2009
Venezio. . .
Well, here they are - my first set of beads for sale since August last year. Although I've missed beadmaking, I most certainly HAVEN'T missed FeeBay. What a nightmare. Since I haven't sold anything on there since last year, I didn't realise the changes they've made - it took me over an hour and a half to list the auction. Almost more trouble than it was worth!
Anyway, enough moaning out of me for one day. If you feel so inclined, click here to visit the auction. Thanks for stopping by!
Anyway, enough moaning out of me for one day. If you feel so inclined, click here to visit the auction. Thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, 26 April 2009
New Beads! . . .
Yep, you read that right. I *finally* made a set of beads. Well actually, I made 2 beads back in late Feb (my last blog post) but made the rest of them today. DH Russ cleaned my studio for me last weekend and I think it gave me the kick up the bum I needed to start melting glass again.
So, if you want to see them - then check back sometime tomorrow. I should have them up on FeeBay mid morning. Hopefully this will be the first of many sets in the near future (no promises though!).
So, if you want to see them - then check back sometime tomorrow. I should have them up on FeeBay mid morning. Hopefully this will be the first of many sets in the near future (no promises though!).
Monday, 23 February 2009
Stay tuned. . .
Amazing as it may seem, I actually spent a few hours in the studio yesterday. I won't get a chance to finish this set of beads today (my oxy concentrator still hates the heat), but come next weekend/early the following week, I may finally have a new set of beads up on FeeBay. Stay tuned. . .
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