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 ;)
Showing posts with label beadmaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beadmaking. Show all posts
Saturday, 11 July 2009
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. . .
Saturday, 20 December 2008
Christmas Wishes. . .
Stopping by to wish everyone a safe, happy, and joyous Christmas.
I'm hoping that 2009 will see me returning to beadmaking. If I get my Christmas wish, then with any luck, early in the New Year I will have something new to offer you.
See you again soon, but in the meantime, Merry Christmas.
Sue x
I'm hoping that 2009 will see me returning to beadmaking. If I get my Christmas wish, then with any luck, early in the New Year I will have something new to offer you.
See you again soon, but in the meantime, Merry Christmas.
Sue x
Monday, 1 December 2008
Not Dead, Busy. . .
Yes, yes I know I've been a terribly slack cow lately, so this post is for those of you who have emailed lately inquiring as to how I'm doing, and wondering if I will EVER melt glass again.
Well, the answer to the first question is that I'm absolutely flat out with my day job lately. So busy in fact that I barely have time to think about anything else. Not that I'm complaining - with Russ still out of work, that's a good thing. However, I've been given a 'sort of' promotion to manager/team leader, so along with my own transcription work, I'm also taking on the responsibility of other MTs. It's fun in its own way, and best of all, I still work from home. After being self-employed/home-based in one capacity or another for almost 12 years (God, has it really been that long?), I couldn't bear to return to an office environment. So, that's the major reason you haven't seen much from me.
And the answer to the second question - will I ever melt glass again. The answer is a definite yes, however, when it might actually happen, I have no clue. I have the best intentions on the weekends to fire up the torch, however, with the extra work I've taken on lately, I just never seem to have enough hours in the day. I'm hoping that when Russ has his back operation (which looks like it might happen around 15 December - which is a real bone of contention with me - 10 days before Christmas. The worst time of year to have him stuck in bed for weeks on end) and he's back to normal and working again, I may have a chance to take life a little easier.
Ultimately I would love to return to my glass work full time again one day. It is something I do plan on... just not sure WHEN. I really do hope to have at least one set of beads up on FeeBay in the not too distant future. This is the longest I've gone since I started making beads around 7 years ago without melting glass. I would make it my New Year Resolution to get back to it more regularly, however, past experience has taught me that I never stick to those. I'll just play it by ear for the moment.
See you again soon.. Thanks for stopping by and for your concern. I really am okay!
Well, the answer to the first question is that I'm absolutely flat out with my day job lately. So busy in fact that I barely have time to think about anything else. Not that I'm complaining - with Russ still out of work, that's a good thing. However, I've been given a 'sort of' promotion to manager/team leader, so along with my own transcription work, I'm also taking on the responsibility of other MTs. It's fun in its own way, and best of all, I still work from home. After being self-employed/home-based in one capacity or another for almost 12 years (God, has it really been that long?), I couldn't bear to return to an office environment. So, that's the major reason you haven't seen much from me.
And the answer to the second question - will I ever melt glass again. The answer is a definite yes, however, when it might actually happen, I have no clue. I have the best intentions on the weekends to fire up the torch, however, with the extra work I've taken on lately, I just never seem to have enough hours in the day. I'm hoping that when Russ has his back operation (which looks like it might happen around 15 December - which is a real bone of contention with me - 10 days before Christmas. The worst time of year to have him stuck in bed for weeks on end) and he's back to normal and working again, I may have a chance to take life a little easier.
Ultimately I would love to return to my glass work full time again one day. It is something I do plan on... just not sure WHEN. I really do hope to have at least one set of beads up on FeeBay in the not too distant future. This is the longest I've gone since I started making beads around 7 years ago without melting glass. I would make it my New Year Resolution to get back to it more regularly, however, past experience has taught me that I never stick to those. I'll just play it by ear for the moment.
See you again soon.. Thanks for stopping by and for your concern. I really am okay!
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Westward. . .
Well, here they are - it only took me (almost) 2 months, but I finally have beads on up FeeBay - click here to take a peek. I've added a Buy It Now price too for those of you who don't like auctions.
Hope you like the beads, and thanks for stopping by. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long for the next lot of beads for sale! :)
Hope you like the beads, and thanks for stopping by. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long for the next lot of beads for sale! :)
Saturday, 23 August 2008
Believe It Or Not . . .
For the first time in almost two months, I made beads today. Not only did I make beads, but I managed to make enough for a set! So come tomorrow, there will finally be a set of beads up for sale on FeeBay.
I was determined to melt glass this weekend. My back is still giving me grief, however, if I keep waiting around for it to get better, I may never make beads again. So, I took it easy, had lots of breaks, and I managed to make enough beads for a set. And who knows? I may even be able to make more tomorrow - no promises on that front, but if my back doesn't play up too much, well.. you never know. If I do make beads tomorrow, I don't think I'll work on a set - perhaps I'll make a few focals and put those up for auction, or else put them in my Etsy store. I'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Stop by tomorrow if you'd like to check the beads out - I'll be listing them at auction and also with a Buy It Now price. See you then!
I was determined to melt glass this weekend. My back is still giving me grief, however, if I keep waiting around for it to get better, I may never make beads again. So, I took it easy, had lots of breaks, and I managed to make enough beads for a set. And who knows? I may even be able to make more tomorrow - no promises on that front, but if my back doesn't play up too much, well.. you never know. If I do make beads tomorrow, I don't think I'll work on a set - perhaps I'll make a few focals and put those up for auction, or else put them in my Etsy store. I'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Stop by tomorrow if you'd like to check the beads out - I'll be listing them at auction and also with a Buy It Now price. See you then!
Sunday, 17 August 2008
Time Flies . . .
Has it really been 3 weeks since I updated the blog? Well, according to my last entry on 28 July, yes, it has been. You might be thinking that I've been so busy making beads and/or having fun, that I simply haven't had the time. Unfortunately, it's neither - other than walking Toby each morning, I haven't left the house for at least 4 weeks, and I haven't fired up the torch since the first weekend of July. As a matter of fact, other than opening the door to my studio yesterday morning to look for my MP3 player, I haven't even been near the studio.
Anyway, I figured it's probably about time I posted something. So apart from my total lack of beadmaking, what have I been up to? Well for one thing, my back is still giving me grief, so last week I cut my hours back in my job from 45 hours per week to 32 hours. So instead of working from 9am-6pm Monday to Friday, I'm now working 9am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, and having Mondays off. That works out perfectly - I've found that having 3 days off in a row has helped me to work a little more comfortably on the other 4 days. My back still plays up, but at least I'm not spending every 30 minutes crying my eyes out with pain. I've also moved my 'office' - well sort of. The office hasn't actually moved, but I'm now spending my work days typing on the laptop at the kitchen table, which for some crazy reason is much more comfortable a position than the so-called ergonomic design of my office desk.
I'm happy to report that Suri, Mum's Bengal kitten, has finally started to settle in. She still tends to be a little skittish around us humans, but she's comfortable now with the other cats and Toby. She's also finally started to investigate the house, and it's hilarious to watch her chasing our fully grown cats up & down our hallway. The hallway in our house is very long and runs in a straight line from the kitchen up to the front of the house (where the bedrooms are situated) and she's having a ball. I've also managed to capture a lot of photos of her, and when I boot up the PC again, I'll upload some of her to share with you.
My stepdaughter, Lauren, and her boyfriend, Jay, are in the US at the moment. They flew out last Tuesday, and judging by the 2 emails we've received from her, she's having a fabulous time. She started off in LA, is now in Anaheim, then is off to San Francisco, Las Vegas, up to Canada, then over to NYC. After they finish in the US, they're heading over to London to start a Contiki tour through Europe. They won't be back home until October. I am totally jealous of her, but I'm really pleased she's having such a great time. The truth is that even if I had enough $$$s to go overseas, I couldn't handle the plane trip at the moment, so, I'm just going to enjoy living vicariously through her.
So, that's been the past 3-4 weeks of my life. I am starting to really miss beadmaking, but I don't dare try firing up the torch until my back has improved a little more. Maybe next weekend.
Stop by a little later in the week if you would like to catch some photos of Suri - hopefully I'll get a chance to upload them. I'm now off to have a shower and think about opening a tin of soup for dinner - a nice easy Sunday meal. Have a good week, and hopefully I'll catch you again soon.
Oh, and many thanks to those who have emailed me to inquire how I am. I know I've been terribly slack & have not answered anyone. In order to help my back, I'm trying not to spend any more time in front of the computer than is absolutely necessary. However, believe me when I tell you that I very much appreciate your concern, and every single email has helped put a smile on my face. You guys rock! :)
Anyway, I figured it's probably about time I posted something. So apart from my total lack of beadmaking, what have I been up to? Well for one thing, my back is still giving me grief, so last week I cut my hours back in my job from 45 hours per week to 32 hours. So instead of working from 9am-6pm Monday to Friday, I'm now working 9am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, and having Mondays off. That works out perfectly - I've found that having 3 days off in a row has helped me to work a little more comfortably on the other 4 days. My back still plays up, but at least I'm not spending every 30 minutes crying my eyes out with pain. I've also moved my 'office' - well sort of. The office hasn't actually moved, but I'm now spending my work days typing on the laptop at the kitchen table, which for some crazy reason is much more comfortable a position than the so-called ergonomic design of my office desk.
I'm happy to report that Suri, Mum's Bengal kitten, has finally started to settle in. She still tends to be a little skittish around us humans, but she's comfortable now with the other cats and Toby. She's also finally started to investigate the house, and it's hilarious to watch her chasing our fully grown cats up & down our hallway. The hallway in our house is very long and runs in a straight line from the kitchen up to the front of the house (where the bedrooms are situated) and she's having a ball. I've also managed to capture a lot of photos of her, and when I boot up the PC again, I'll upload some of her to share with you.
My stepdaughter, Lauren, and her boyfriend, Jay, are in the US at the moment. They flew out last Tuesday, and judging by the 2 emails we've received from her, she's having a fabulous time. She started off in LA, is now in Anaheim, then is off to San Francisco, Las Vegas, up to Canada, then over to NYC. After they finish in the US, they're heading over to London to start a Contiki tour through Europe. They won't be back home until October. I am totally jealous of her, but I'm really pleased she's having such a great time. The truth is that even if I had enough $$$s to go overseas, I couldn't handle the plane trip at the moment, so, I'm just going to enjoy living vicariously through her.
So, that's been the past 3-4 weeks of my life. I am starting to really miss beadmaking, but I don't dare try firing up the torch until my back has improved a little more. Maybe next weekend.
Stop by a little later in the week if you would like to catch some photos of Suri - hopefully I'll get a chance to upload them. I'm now off to have a shower and think about opening a tin of soup for dinner - a nice easy Sunday meal. Have a good week, and hopefully I'll catch you again soon.
Oh, and many thanks to those who have emailed me to inquire how I am. I know I've been terribly slack & have not answered anyone. In order to help my back, I'm trying not to spend any more time in front of the computer than is absolutely necessary. However, believe me when I tell you that I very much appreciate your concern, and every single email has helped put a smile on my face. You guys rock! :)
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Good News, and Not So Good . . .
The good news is that I did actually manage to make 4 beads today. The not so good news is that means I won't have anything to offer you tomorrow. I want to make another 5-6 beads to complete the set, and since I'll be working in my day job (yawn) for the next 5 days, I won't get any opportunity now to fire up the torch until at least next Saturday.
I had high hopes of finishing the set I started today, unfortunately, my back and associated sciatic pain had other ideas. After each bead I had to stop for 20 minutes to walk around the house to ease the leg pain. The problem is I find myself automatically sitting in a certain position when I'm at the torch, and wouldn't you know it, it's the ONE position that is guaranteed to aggravate the hell out of my sciatica. It was that bad that after each bead, and reaching down to put it the kiln - which only finds me bending over slightly - I'd get this awful burning/stinging pain shooting into my thigh and calf. And wouldn't you know it, it was a good beadmaking day too - the first in over a month where I *really* felt like I could have made beads for hours.
This back pain and sciatica is really starting to get me down. It was truly awful this morning - I had a major coughing fit and I was in agony the whole time. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't lie down - anything I did made the pain worse, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop coughing, and the more I coughed, the worse the leg pain became.
Oh well, such is life.
So next Saturday I am definitely going to put the finishing touches on the set I started today. I doubt very much I'll have much chance to do it next Sunday, as Russ & I, and Yvonne & Farid, are heading over to Frankston to celebrate Arthur's birthday (Hi Art - I know you read my notes from my blog on Facebook :-)), and it will no doubt be a very late night and we'll probably end up staying in Frankston on Saturday night.
In the meantime, I hope you have a good week, and I'll catch you again early next week with new beads.
I had high hopes of finishing the set I started today, unfortunately, my back and associated sciatic pain had other ideas. After each bead I had to stop for 20 minutes to walk around the house to ease the leg pain. The problem is I find myself automatically sitting in a certain position when I'm at the torch, and wouldn't you know it, it's the ONE position that is guaranteed to aggravate the hell out of my sciatica. It was that bad that after each bead, and reaching down to put it the kiln - which only finds me bending over slightly - I'd get this awful burning/stinging pain shooting into my thigh and calf. And wouldn't you know it, it was a good beadmaking day too - the first in over a month where I *really* felt like I could have made beads for hours.
This back pain and sciatica is really starting to get me down. It was truly awful this morning - I had a major coughing fit and I was in agony the whole time. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't lie down - anything I did made the pain worse, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop coughing, and the more I coughed, the worse the leg pain became.
Oh well, such is life.
So next Saturday I am definitely going to put the finishing touches on the set I started today. I doubt very much I'll have much chance to do it next Sunday, as Russ & I, and Yvonne & Farid, are heading over to Frankston to celebrate Arthur's birthday (Hi Art - I know you read my notes from my blog on Facebook :-)), and it will no doubt be a very late night and we'll probably end up staying in Frankston on Saturday night.
In the meantime, I hope you have a good week, and I'll catch you again early next week with new beads.
Monday, 21 April 2008
Gaia. . .
And here's a photo of the beads I'll be listing on eBay tomorrow. This is more or less a sneak peek, as of course, I haven't listed the auction yet. I hope to have it up and running around 9.00 am - 10.00 am my time - sorry, but I'm too tired to figure out what time that will be in the USA. After approximately 8.5 hours working non-stop in my day job today, I'm just too exhausted to worry about converting it.
Anyway, the links will lead you to either eBay, which will show no auctions for the moment, or the photo on Flickr, until I've actually listed the auction. So make sure to stop by tomorrow if you'd like to check them out.
Thanks for stopping by.
Anyway, the links will lead you to either eBay, which will show no auctions for the moment, or the photo on Flickr, until I've actually listed the auction. So make sure to stop by tomorrow if you'd like to check them out.
Thanks for stopping by.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Quick Hello. . .
Just a brief update - amazingly, I actually fired up the torch today - only 3 beads, but I'll be making the rest tomorrow, so I should have an auction up on eBay on Monday. I'm actually kinda excited about these beads - I've had an idea brewing for these for a while, and although I wasn't sure if it was going to work, I'm happy to report that I *do* think they worked - hair-thin black stringer on a base of blue - lots of CiM colours, including French Blue, Leaky Pen, and Lapis. Plus a handmade murrini "stuck" on one corner of each bead, encased in clear. They're freeform in shape (no press used) and kinda funky. I'm actually looking forward to opening the kiln tomorrow morning to see how they worked out. I'm planning on etching them, except for the little window with the murrini, which I'll leave clear. Hopefully they'll turn out to be as cool as I envisage.
I would have made more beads, however, DH Russ, Mum & I decided to visit the local tile/slate store this morning. We've been talking about ripping up the carpet in the house for ages and replacing it with slate, and this store has some amazing options. I found one colour and style of slate that really appeals to me - a dark "mottled" slate which I want to have laid in a diagonal pattern. All the rooms in the house will have this, except for the kitchen, which is "sort of" in the middle of the house - so I want to break it up with something else. Not sure at this point what I'll do with the kitchen. Not that it matters all that much, as I can't really even afford the slate - they've quoted us approximately $60-66 per square metre. That however includes the labour to lay it, so I suppose it's not really all that expensive. Still it's more money than I have to spare. Mum has offered to pay for it, but I'm not really all that comfortable with her doing that. I guess we'll see how it goes.
Okay.. enough out of me for one day. I'm off to have a shower and relax. Remember to drop by on Monday to check out the beads.
I would have made more beads, however, DH Russ, Mum & I decided to visit the local tile/slate store this morning. We've been talking about ripping up the carpet in the house for ages and replacing it with slate, and this store has some amazing options. I found one colour and style of slate that really appeals to me - a dark "mottled" slate which I want to have laid in a diagonal pattern. All the rooms in the house will have this, except for the kitchen, which is "sort of" in the middle of the house - so I want to break it up with something else. Not sure at this point what I'll do with the kitchen. Not that it matters all that much, as I can't really even afford the slate - they've quoted us approximately $60-66 per square metre. That however includes the labour to lay it, so I suppose it's not really all that expensive. Still it's more money than I have to spare. Mum has offered to pay for it, but I'm not really all that comfortable with her doing that. I guess we'll see how it goes.
Okay.. enough out of me for one day. I'm off to have a shower and relax. Remember to drop by on Monday to check out the beads.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
To Bead Or Not To Bead. . .
. . . That is the question. I had all good intentions of spending most of this weekend working on a new set of beads, however, I've had an offer too good to refuse in my day job, whereby I'm being paid almost double on everything I transcribe not only for this weekend, but also for the next week. So, with that in mind (and with trying to save all the $$$'s I can before we go on vacation for a week in June), I decided that beadmaking could wait. I'm probably going to spend most of the weekend typing away on medical reports. I may have a few hours to spare tomorrow, and if that's the case, then I'll fire up the torch. If not, well .. there's always next weekend. I seem to be saying that a lot lately.
Oh well! Whatever you're doing this weekend, I hope you enjoy yourself. Spare a thought for us poor slobs who are working. TTFN!
Oh well! Whatever you're doing this weekend, I hope you enjoy yourself. Spare a thought for us poor slobs who are working. TTFN!
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
The Butterfly Effect. . .
And here's the set of beads I was talking about in yesterday's blog entry. They're up on eBay right now.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for stopping by!
Monday, 17 March 2008
Sneak peek. . .
Sneak peek at a new set of beads I'll be listing on eBay in the next day or two
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269
Hope you like the sneak peek, and catch you again tomorrow.
Saturday, 15 March 2008
!@#$%&*. . .
Eager to spend as much time as possible in the studio, and particularly excited to use my newly repaired (HA!) oxy concentrator, I fired up the torch at 10.30 am this morning. Everything was going along fabulously, and 30 minutes later, the "Below Normal" light still hadn't lit up - finally, after 4.5 years of working with a defective oxy concentrator, it was fully operational. I was excited beyond belief about the possibility of spending all day working on a new set of beads.
Yes. Well. That excitement lasted for another 4 minutes - until I looked over at it again, and the !@#$%&* "Below Normal" light was blinking its evil yellow glow.
ARGHHHHH.......
So after another 30 minutes of swearing and turning the PSI up and down, I uttered one final !@$%, turned off the torch, and had to seriously restrain myself from kicking the concentrator through the window. With DH Russ away until tomorrow, there's no possibility of him looking at it today.
Seriously though, I'm not really all that surprised. Nothing else that ever goes wrong is simple, or cheap, to repair, (e.g. the THREE kilns I've been through since I started lampworking almost 6 yrs ago, the dishwasher that died 4 weeks ago that cost me $480 to repair, the ducted evaporative cooling system in the house that has been making weird grinding noises for months and has been quoted at costing us $4000 to replace [and we completely gave up on ever fixing it, and instead forked out $2500 for air conditioning]), so why should the !@$#% oxy concentrator be any different? I need a drink.
Oxy concentrator 1, Sue 0.
Yes. Well. That excitement lasted for another 4 minutes - until I looked over at it again, and the !@#$%&* "Below Normal" light was blinking its evil yellow glow.
ARGHHHHH.......
So after another 30 minutes of swearing and turning the PSI up and down, I uttered one final !@$%, turned off the torch, and had to seriously restrain myself from kicking the concentrator through the window. With DH Russ away until tomorrow, there's no possibility of him looking at it today.
Seriously though, I'm not really all that surprised. Nothing else that ever goes wrong is simple, or cheap, to repair, (e.g. the THREE kilns I've been through since I started lampworking almost 6 yrs ago, the dishwasher that died 4 weeks ago that cost me $480 to repair, the ducted evaporative cooling system in the house that has been making weird grinding noises for months and has been quoted at costing us $4000 to replace [and we completely gave up on ever fixing it, and instead forked out $2500 for air conditioning]), so why should the !@$#% oxy concentrator be any different? I need a drink.
Oxy concentrator 1, Sue 0.
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