Sorta Daily Ramblings

Most of he Site is Down Until Sunday. Any links with loose beads are currently not available. Finished jewelry and sterling silver large hole beads are still available for purchase. I have a show tomorrow in Traverse City. I'll be back with site updates on Sunday. Even if you find something you'd like, wait until I get back to see if it's in stock or not! No guarantees until I return!

And of course, you can check my Etsy shop to see if you find something you like there. That will also be restocked on Sunday.

Uggggggggggg! Tomorrow I have to go back to school. Spring break is over. It's been a wonderful week for the business, and I thank everyone for their purchases. You'll never know how very helpful your support has been. I hope you enjoy everything you purchased and will come back again soon.

Friday, the store will be down as I have a show on Saturday, April 12th in Traverse City. If you're in the areas, come on in to see lots of wonderful people that sell lots of wonderful beading materials. See my show schedule for more information about where and when.

So for now, here's the latest from the kiln, all available in my Etsy Shop! Happy Spring!

Got a couple more vessels made that turned out pretty nice, if I do say so myself. Also, I have almost 200 items up on Etsy right now, so go take a tour when you get some time.

Daughter made it home from Cancun and went on and on about all her adventures. It was so great to see her so excited about experiencing other cultures. I do believe she's caught the travel bug, so possibly she could be my travel companion in the future. So great to have her home though.

Spring break has been busy, but I still don't feel like I've gotten much done. Oh well, only so many hours in a day. I did go over to Karen's and learn how to blow vessels. A couple I attempted are coming in the mail. I'll show them off when they arrive.

A few new large hole sterling beads for your Biagi, Pandora, Troll, AYU and other euro style bracelets are available. Go Check them out here. I sure do wish sterling prices would come down though.

Wahoooooooooooooo! Spring Break ~ Finally! It sure started out fun! Two more addicts committed to the lampwork addiction! Carol and Tina came from Midland for a Weekend Beadaway this weekend, and we had a ton of fun. Check out their weekend by clicking here.

Daughter is in Cancun on spring break and having an "awesome time"! This is her first time out of the country, and I'm so happy she was able to go. There's nothing like experiencing a new culture and country. Can't wait until she returns with all her stories!

I don't have anything specific planned for break, but with a show coming up in April, I do need to make more beads (like I don't have enough just laying around the house!)

You all take care, and here's to hoping all this snow melts this week, and the daffodils finally creep up from the warm earth!

Happy Easter to All! We spent the day traveling to see our son and his girlfriend away at college to have dinner. Ponderosa in Big Rapids isn't the best I've been to. We always go to Ponderosa since that's where hubby's mom always liked to go, and since dad is still with us, that's where he likes to go too. Memories.

I listed more beads on Etsy, so go take a gander and see if something tickles your fancy.

$8.95	$8.95	$8.95	$4.99
$11.99	$23.99		All Available In My Etsy Shop!

Well, spring is almost here. The sun has been shining quite a bit here in Northern Michigan, which makes all the other stuff* of the world a bit easier to handle. I have a few new large hole lampwork beads and some new jewelry up on Etsy, so go take a peek.

I had someone write me asking why I don't put silver in the middle of my large hole lampwork beads. Here's a few thoughts on that subject:

Even though I think they look wonderful WITH silver in them, they also work and look wonderful WITHOUT the silver. I do have a few large hole sliders that I have lined with silver, and even though they are priced to sell, they haven't budged.


$25.00	$25.00	$25.00	$25.00

$25.00	$25.00	$25.00	$17.00
All In Finished Pendants On My Website! Click here!

Regarding the large hole beads for the Euro Bracelets that I have lined, one out of 5 would crack or break during the process, wasting the time used to make the bead, the glass, and the silver, which is the more expensive of the three.

In case you haven't looked lately, or been listening to the news, silver prices are soaring.. The current market price for an ounce of silver is $20.92. Gold is $1008 an ounce! You can follow the prices here. Now, as a single income family of 5 on a teacher's salary, I simply can't afford those prices, especially with the error rate. I've practiced with copper tubing, which is a harder metal, and even then, the error rate was high.

So, if you've made it through this trivial explanation, I don't line my large hole beads with silver. That keeps the price of the bead down, which in this economy is also easier on the consumer, and my customers keep coming back, so I suppose I'm doing something right. After all, when they slide on the euro bracelets, you can't even see the silver!

I believe my large hole lampwork beads to be of the highest quality. Depending on the style, the holes are dimpled, and a perfect size for all the euro bracelets I've tried them on.

Also, the question has been asked why I don't make my own silver beads. The answer is the same, just too expensive for silver. I would LOVE to make them all the time, and have true artisan silver sliders, but unless the market eases, this won't happen.

I do have a pendant with handmade silver beads for sale on my site. These are made of PMC, a by-product of Black and White Photography, which when fired, leaves a final product of .999 silver content. I LOVE this stuff, but again, the price of PMC is now up to $52 for 50 grams. (26 grams in an ounce, so that's MORE than the current market price for silver).

Unless I win the lottery, silver is not in my cards for the moment. The prices I charge for my jewelry with sterling silver have remained the same as when the market was down, because that's the price I paid for the silver. Suggestions have been made to raise my prices to affect this change, but there is a method to my madness.

I truly am not in this business to get rich. I am just trying to get by in this economy like everyone else and I enjoy what I do. I see no reason to raise my prices to make it more difficult for my customers to enjoy my work. I'd rather move product, than keep it because I feel it's worth more than people are willing to pay.

I'm going to go play with my copper and brass. Copper is down, so it's more affordable for everyone, and it's so pretty mixed with brass.


Green Agate	Green Tree Agate	Lake Superior Agate	Lake Superior Nugget Agate

Mooka Jasper	Ocean Jasper	Michigan Petoskey Stone	Picture Jasper
	Zolite	Sodalite
All Available In My Etsy Shop!

Still suffering with the winter blues, but if I keep counting the days until March 1st, I know spring is just around the corner! It can't come fast enough.

I've been working on some new jewelry lately, and have made a few beads. Here are my humble offerings of the day, available in my Etsy Shop! Come and visit!

Well, I'm getting sick of this weather in the Northland. Fresh air a warmer climate and lots of sunshine sounds so good right now. We have about 1/4 inch of ice on everything at the moment, and the cars going by our house (which is on a hill), are having a difficult time stopping to turn the corner. I don't know what's so important that people have to travel.

I've been having a bit of a creative slump lately, so I decided to make some sets of basic beads. These are available in any color, so if you want a color you don't see finished, just let me know. There are 13 beads in the set for $20, quite a deal. These are all currently listed on Etsy.


Available In My Shop on Etsy!

Available In My Shop on Etsy!

I've been out of the loop for about a week now. This flu/cold/cough bug took me by the horns! Nasty stuff.

Anyway, I managed to get on the torch a bit yesterday and here are my offerings from the event. All of these are available on Etsy or e-mail me.

A snow/ice day for me today, so I have time to list a few things on Etsy and on the website.


12.99	$48.00	$48.00	$48.00
	On Website		On Website
On Website $48.00

HUGE 15% OFF SALE ON ORPHANS, ANYTHING IN THE CLEARANCE SECTION! ALL ITEMS ARE ALREADY MARKED WITH THE DISCOUNT!

Remember, you can purchase safely through my website with your credit card! And you don't need a pay pal account to use your credit card. A screen will come up to pay through Pay Pal, but you can select not to sign up for a Pay Pal account and use your credit card.

The website is now officially finished (I think*). I know I'll look around in nooks and crannies of the jewelry and bead storage area and find more though. It's kind of like when you put away all the Christmas decorations, and a week later, you find some little trinket that was missed. I always figure, it's good to keep a little spirit of Christmas around all year 'round. This year we found an angel and a painted bucket that was left out, easy enough to shove into a storage box.

Anyway, lots and lots of items for sale, both finished jewelry and beads, so shop 'til you drop and remember, Pay Pal is always accepted, which is a secure and easy way to shop on line.

Some new finished focals pendants and necklaces and a couple of bracelet and earring sets if you're interested. I don't have the buy it now buttons on yet, hopefully tomorrow. If you really, really, really want one of them, stare at the larger images, then check back tomorrow night.

I've spent most of the last week doing all the updates on my site. There are now items in every section.

Please rest assured that your purchases are safe, as I take Pay Pal, which is a secure site for payment. You can pay by credit card or cash from your Pay Pal account.

Christmas Eve at the Fisher's involves, family, oyster stew, candy making (peanut brittle, chex mix, caramel corn and fudge), yummy! The kids always open one gift.

I did some last minute Christmas shopping this morning. It's become a yearly ritual. For some reason I love that last minute stuff, when the shelves appear almost empty, and I have my list, and everything I need is actually in stock.

Father in law continues to recover from his surgery. We have so much to be thankful for this year.

Son will be on his way home in a couple hours, and I'm praying the snowstorm waits until he arrives.

I did get more focals, earring pairs and finished earrings up on the website, and there are lots of orphan beads in tubes that are a truly good deal in the clearance section. Some lots have plenty of my heart beads, so if you choose the right tube, you'll have a great bracelet for Valentine's day. Hint Hint!

Christmas Break! Wahooooooooooo! My plan is to sleep in tomorrow morning. It's been a long few weeks.

There are quite a few beads and jewelry up on Etsy, if you're still shopping. A really cute large hole lampwork bead for the Euro bracelets fitting for Valentine's Day done in white with red hearts is only $7.99. I also did a special order for some large hole encased florals last week, and it took me about 21 beads to get 6 that were the same size for her, so I have a few extra. A pair for $18.99 or a single for $9.50. These fit the Biagi, Pandora, and other Euro bracelets. Very pretty and also perfect for Valentine's Day. There are also some other large hole beads and don't forget my dancer beads, also on sale through Etsy.

Check out the new clearance beads Up today! Tubes of Beads, Orphans that need a home!

Join my mailing list and get updates on new listings on Etsy and new products on my website! Add your e-mail to the list through the link on the bottom left of this page!

Have a great holiday, I wish you peace, love, joy and many new memories to share with your family and friends.

I did it. For the most part the new* website is up. I still have to add a lot of stuff, but for now, it's working (crossing my fingers).

December 8, 2007 Change is good, change is good, change is good...... Website design is my nemesis. I WANT to be really good at it, and I TRY to be really good at it, but my left brain and my right brain argue so much with each other. They both are the irritating, annoying parts of my anatomy that I'd like to merge into one. I wonder what that would do to ones brain function. I want to take a class in web design, but then, I WANT to do a lot of things.

Truth be told, I have probably 15 website designs on my computer. Obviously, not all of them are published, but there they sit, unattended, lonely and taking up valuable space in the memory. I keep saying, someday, someday, but I don't. I also purchased a new program, Web Expressions, after a friend of mine exclaimed how wonderfully easy it is. Yeah, Right. It's collecting dust over there in the corner, see it?.

I'm reading a new book, Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. She was on Oprah last week for the second time, and I was equally impressed with her the second time. Like Oprah picks up dialects as she interviews people, I start thinking and even writing in the style of whomever I'm reading. I like her style of prose, what can I say.

Teaching, ahhhhhhhhhh. That "ahhhhhhhhh" was not a good "ahhhhhhhh". I find myself counting not only the years, but the days, hours, minutes and seconds until I retire. There are days when I'd like to just leave, and never look back. I'm not sure what bugs me the most. I mean, I LOVE to teach, as much as I love to breathe, but it's the crap that goes with teaching that has me by the horns. The obstinate children of parents that are trying their absolute best to raise them, but within the walls of that thing called school, they turn into something indescribable. I wish I could figure it all out. You'd think after all these years I would have done that, but I confess, I haven't. I haven't even come close.

Images I have of me, getting into some insane battle with a kid over something as petty as throwing a piece of clay around the room, haunt me. I shudder when I look back at myself. The contortions of my face, the tone of my voice, the shaking of my entire body, must be the only memory some children have of me. And parents too. What an awful thing.

I'm not one to back down when I know I'm right. I slither away if I'm wrong. There seems to be some new generation of child that actually believes if they argue long enough, I will change the way I teach, and my entire teaching philosophy. I swear they will argue about the fact that we actually breathe to stay alive, just to argue. I find myself more and more these days, just looking them square in the eyes, and saying, "This conversation is over, next.......". I mean, I cannot be responsible for every child's self esteem. If they'd work, I am absolutely positive there would never be a problem. Confession: I don't like to be around lazy people. Confession Two: I don't like to be around people that can't take criticism, especially when it comes to their artwork. Confession Three: I don't like to be around people that only want me to make them feel good all the time, I can't do that.

Next year, we are switching to a trimester schedule. This is supposed to afford kids more opportunities to take elective classes, such as art and photography. I proposed to my boss that a new class could be developed in the department. This class would be called "Only Make Me Feel Good Art". It would not allow a student a grade or credit, but they could come in, make art, and no matter what they made, I would tell them it was GREAT! Not just good, but GREAT! I would hang it up on the walls, put a gold star on and in big red letters, write "GREAT JOB! KEEP IT UP!" Oh, and add a smiley face! That way, I could always make sure that kid felt good. They wouldn't learn anything about art in the true sense of the word, but damnit, they'd feel good. He didn't like the idea. I don't either.

My requirements in my classroom are simple. Work. Ask for help, but only after you have tried. Don't expect me or anyone else to do it for you. You signed up for the class, and you are in the public school system, so take what goes with it. If you think you know everything there is to know before you walk into my classroom, then don't walk in. I am a teacher. I teach. I teach you things you've never heard of before, or from a different perspective. I'm not making this stuff up. I'm relaying information to you. Don't argue with me about whether it's right or wrong information. Go prove it to be wrong, then come back and show me. Don't waste my time. I don't like to debate facts that have been proven to be right. I want you to be creative, but there are still certain elements and principles that should be followed, or else you look stupid. I don't want you to look stupid.

Oh, and parents, don't try to save your kids all the time. Just because they come home in tears, don't assume that a teacher woke up that morning with a vengeance in their soul to get your child, and get them good! Assume that your child has a problem dealing with something, and work through that with them. Ask your child this question, "What happened?". When they say something like, "She hates, me. She embarrasses me. She never likes anything I do." After listening to all that, ask them exactly what happened, and please, listen. Don't automatically take their side and try to save them. More than likely they only heard what they wanted to hear. Their sensitivity to criticism is their biggest fault. They only hear what was said about the negative parts of their work, and completely excluded anything positive. After you've listened to them, call the office, set up an appointment, and speak with the teacher. Get all the facts before you come out with both swords blazing. Never, ever storm into a teacher's classroom unannounced, ready for a fight. Wait 24 hours before you respond to anything, and during that 24 hours, think with your head, not your heart.

Your child is going to deal with bosses or instructors at college that are much more abrupt and less willing to spare your child's feelings that I am. High school prepares them for that next step in life. High school teachers are not always the sort that teach middle school. They are less tolerant of inappropriate behaviors. They expect students to work, learn and improve. Believe it or not, some students in that classroom actually want to go onto a college or university that will expect the best out of them. Don't let your child interfere with that. Anything less would be an injustice. We all want the best for each and every child that walks through our classroom.

And yes, unfortunately, there are some kids that are absolutely, undeniably unteachable. They are so obstinate, rude, and hard headed, that no matter what a teacher does, they will not give. They get it in their immature heads that they were put on this earth to do and say whatever they want, whenever they want. What to do with them? Well, I'm not a diagnostician or a counselor, so don't ask me to figure that out. I do know, these kids need serious therapy. Since we don't have an island for them to live on together, we are forced to suffer with their negativity and argumentative nature, at the expense of a quality education for others in our care. I wish they would just stay home. Obviously, they don't want to be in school, and certainly not in my classroom.

As the old adage goes, "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink", well, "You can lead a child to school, but you cannot make them think".