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Thursday ~ February 1st

This was the card that Chris opened at work last week from me.  While "dazzled" might have been overshooting it a bit, inside were two train tickets to the Rocky Mountains for this weekend & a whole itinerary of fun things for us to do there.  So we're off this morning to celebrate our anniversary in Jasper!  I'll be back after the weekend with photos & stories. 

By the way, don't you love this guy on the card.  He looks like a really drunk party host that dressed up as a king, slurred "prepared to be dazzled" to his guests, threw up his arms, fell back in his chair which tipped completely over landing him on the ground where he passed out mere seconds later.  Let's hope there's no foreshadowing here.

Monday ~ February 5th

                                 Moose

I think it was my friend, Lori who said "Moose are like the supermodels of the animal kingdom ~ they're all legs".

Click on this beauty to see photos from our trip to Jasper.

Thursday ~ February 8th

This is the prize from last month ~ it's on it's way Mary.  She wanted something similar to a bead set I sold back in December. 

I have a new clue up for this month here.

Sorry my website was down there for a wee bit - I forgot to renew my domain name, not that I meant to, but they sent a renewal notice to an email account that I no longer check, so, I never knew it was time to renew.  I called them to get them to send all future notices to my current email account & they said that I would first have to fax them a signed form on letterhead that proves who I am.  I guess they have to protect themselves from impostures trying to steal other people's websites.  What a pain!

I made more beads with the same color combo as above, but I'm going to keep making a few more before I offer anything, maybe there will be something up for grabs next week.  

Friday ~ February 9th

I was taking a photo of these roses, not because Valentine's Day is around the corner, but because my sister-in-law gave me these for my birthday 21 days ago.  This is what they looked like yesterday (note - I changed the color of the bottom left ones for interest & my cat Nu kept sneaking into the photos).  Isn't it quite incredible how long they've lasted though?  The trick is to cut their stems down once they start to droop & put them in a shallow vase or bowl.  I'm sure you would have to cut the stems on these roses. 

My grandma is one hell of a spunky gal, but the Fruit Cake Lady, well she takes the "cake".  This is pure gold ~ thanks for the link Jen!

And this is so funny!  Enjoy the Cat Fight.

Monday ~ February 12th

My case from Chickpea came!  Look at all the stuff I have to put in it - that's what I've been packing around in my pockets for years!  It's so nice to have a place for all of it & what a pretty place!  Now I have to make a strand of beads to go with it.

Valentine's Day ~ February 14th

Look at the beautiful bracelet Rickie Voges made with her prize beads!  No surprise, Rickie is such a talented jewelry designer!

That being said, I better add another clue to this month's riddle contest ~ here it is.

Happy Valentine's Day (if you're into that kind of thing).  Chris is taking me to Little Italy tonight - we discovered a very sweet, romantic restaurant there a couple of months ago & want to go back for some tasty eats. 

Friday ~ February 16th

A sweet customer of mine has a charity auction up right now.  It's a bracelet made with some of my beads ~ all proceeds go to help pay for her friend's daughter's operation.  If you're looking for a cheery, bright bracelet in anticipation for spring & want to purchase a gift that gives back, go bid on this little beauty here.

It's been a crazy batch of time here.  We've been moving my grandparents from their downtown apartment into a senior's home.  We've also had to get all The Bead Tree files organized & ready for tax season & I've been trying to revamp my studio ~ I purchased new curtains, a light & a fan, & I'm working on better ways to organize all that glass & stuff.  I'm also working on a giant treasure map for one of the walls, so beads, I have some, but not a pile.  I was hoping to have something up this week to offer you all, but alas, you'll have to wait. 

Our friends Tricia & Mike called from the Calgary airport on Wednesday to inform us that they were on their way to Las Vegas (a surprise Mike gave Tricia for Valentine's Day) & that we should try to meet them there.  We looked into last minute deals, but we couldn't find any good prices.  I'm not complaining though, this Saturday we're celebrating Gail & Brent's marriage (the couple I mentioned in January that got married in Mexico) at a fiesta they've planned ~ should be fun ~ have a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday ~ February 20th

My cousin Teresa & Virginia emailed me before Christmas & asked if they could purchase a gift certificate for some beads for my other cousin Kristine.  I thought that was a great idea & agreed.  Kristine got in touch with me shortly after Christmas & we discussed a few ideas.  When I put up a strand of "spellbound" beads for sale, she suggested that she would like something like those beads.  So finally, last week I finished her set - these are Kristine's beads.  I added more sparkle than ever before, in fact, you might not see it so well in the picture but all the purple dots have sparkles in them!  I have some extras now so I'm going to make a few more sets to put up for sale!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Ours was packed full of fun with family & friends.  We got a lot of mileage out of our karaoke machine this weekend & I think we started a new tradition at Chris' sister's house ~ a roast dinner to celebrate Family Day, which is a provincial holiday for us here. 

I finally finished organizing my studio ~ that turned out to be quite the project!  Boy am I excited with how it turned out though.  I'll take pictures soon & give you a virtual tour with the before & after shots...

Wednesday ~ February 21st

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.

And sings the tune without the words and never stops at all." ~ Emily Dickinson

Friday ~ February 23rd

I have pictures of my new & improved studio ~ click on the picture above to see some of the changes I've been up too. 

One last clue for this month's contest here.

I've strung a few bead sets ~ all in the Spellbound colors.  The sun is supposed to poke it's head out of the clouds today so I'll try to take pictures & get some beads up for sale probably tomorrow. 

Saturday ~ February 24th

All the beads are sold now, thank you!  Click on the picture to see.

Monday ~ February 26th

Chris bought me an orchid plant last week.  It has a long stem full of buds that decided to open this weekend.  It's beautiful!

I've been running errands all day ~ good times!  Went grocery shopping, did laundry, cleaned the litter box (I should get a medal for that) & even went to the gym, impressive for a Monday, usually I start the week off a little slow... hehe.

I've got a silver insert class tonight.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's o.k. I'm not sure what to expect either, but I hope to have photos tomorrow or the next day that will explain it.   

Tuesday ~ February 27th

Well the silver insert class was... interesting.  Here's the final product.  Please note the ripped silver, the broken bead in the front, the inserts poking out...hmm.  I definitely did not have the magic touch last night.  That's o.k. though, to be honest, these don't really do much for me.  I think they're supposed to jazz up the beads, but in a way they kind of take away from them.  I suppose if you used beads with less stuff going on or if you had really big tubing for the big-holed beads, it would work really well, but for these kinds of beads - eh.  That being said, some of the other ladies in class did really well & their beads looked fantastic!

The procedure is crazy though.  You have to measure some silver tubing, getting the amount just right for the hole of the bead.  Then you saw it & anneal the silver with a propane torch.  Then you stick the silver in some scary acid concoction that deoxidizes (or oxidizes?) the silver.  Then you clean the little tube with a brass brush & soap.  Finally you're ready to press the silver insert, making it flair out around the opening of the bead.  You use a big press for this & have a hammer & anvil block near by for the final touches, but this is where it gets tricky.  You have to slowly, & I mean slowly, press the pin point metal device of the press down into the insert, turning the bead & flipping it over & praying that the silver doesn't split.  If you are not careful, & sometimes even if you are careful, the silver splits or the glass breaks from the pressure.  If you are successful, you finish it up with a few taps of your hammer & then polish the inserts with a machine.  I only had one that I would deem "worthy"...out of seven.   

O.k. so that isn't the best success rate, but from here you can learn to put caps on your beads, which I think I would totally dig.  Just look at what Andrea is doing with her handmade caps that are attached to silver inserts ~ simply amazing!

Wednesday ~ February 28th

                Photo courtesy of the National Geographic

Mom & I started golf lessons last night.  For the next 6 weeks, we'll be venturing across the city every Tuesday & Thursday night to refresh our golf form before the season starts.  There, we start with a half hour of stretches & then practice golf drills for another hour.  It might sound a little weird, but it was so much fun & I tell you, these teachers are really good.  I'm actually excited about going out golfing this year!

On the way home, we stopped for a quick bite to eat & when we came out of the restaurant, it had snowed the shiniest snowflakes I have ever seen!  Driving home, the road sparkled like crushed diamonds & after I dropped mom off, a white hare crossed my path ~ a sign I have always deemed lucky.  When I got home, Chris' mom, Pat called to ask if I had seen the moon yet.  I searched the sky & above me the clouds lingered below the moon so that it looked like it was lost in a fog, but from her vantage point, there was a big glowing ring around it.

Later...

So as I'm walking on the snow that "sparkled like crushed diamonds" this morning, heading home from yoga, the song "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" by Paul Simon randomly comes on my iPod... don't you love synchronicity!?