it's a bead thing...

moonlight

2009-04-08T10:29:00.006-05:00

i found this amazing piece while checking out one of my new "homes" the other day, and was so taken with it, i had to share.

nancy kovar is the artist behind the piece...made from sparkling dichroic glass and *gasp* all the silver work is done by hand as well.

i've always been envious of anyone who can work with wire and create anything that actually looks like something other than a tangled mess. (um, that's my speciality, hands off!) not only is the artistic vision perfect in the gorgeous necklace, but the execution appears flawless as well. if ever i had the opportunity to waste a few hours holding this i'd take it...

if you'd like to view this piece in particular, please visit nancy's listing on artfire, and while you're there i encourage you to view her entire shoppe for more inspirational work.

(thank you nancy, for allowing me to profile your amazing work!)

long time....

2009-04-01T14:48:00.002-05:00

no see, right? can't believe it's been so many months since i checked in here. seems the days are going faster than i can keep up with, and at times i am barely holding my head above water...

that's not always a bad thing, though...and i'm more than happy just doing the whole day-to-day...

hope all is well with all of you out there. i'll be checking back in tomorrow with more exciting news and hopefully something interesting to talk about. be sure to check out all my new links in the meantime...sys!

gotta have!

2008-12-17T10:36:00.003-06:00

so, as i am nearing my goal weight, i'm becoming more and more interested in all of the 'girly' stuff i used to love. but when you're fat...you just don't feel good enough to get dolled up (if you can even find things in your size.)

but right now, i find myself coveting all sorts of things...and these are my new MUST HAVE...i love shoes. :) and if anyone out there loves me, or even just likes me enough, they're only $130, ha!

best holiday cards ever

2008-11-25T15:56:00.006-06:00

i know i've talked about carol & lee and their company, junkmail before. but i thought since the holidays were upon us, it was high time i brought her out again.

carol and her hubby run the company, creating the best cards i've ever seen. these ain't your average Hallmark moments, people. they create cards that say exactly what you wish you could say, maybe have wanted to say...but are just too proper to do it yourself.

i've already done some of christmas card shopping, and i think if you have a peek (and have the same sense of humor i have), you'll find something you like just as much.

word up to you, carol and lee. you've made me look forward to hours of card signing for the first time in my life. :)

just call me smokin'

2008-11-25T07:32:00.003-06:00

smokin' hot....i finally broke the plateau! and i am officially out of the 170's and sooooo close to my goal of 150.

maybe my dreams of being there soon after the new year aren't that far off!

addicted to facebook

2008-11-20T09:42:00.002-06:00

i'm facing reality and understanding that i have a deep affection (er, addiction) to facebook these days.

my brother actually convinced me to sign up about 3 weeks ago so that we could stay in touch easier, share photos, etc...and once i got on and figured things out i was totally hooked.

i'm over there doing all kinds of time wasting things, playing games, posting photos, making "friends" with a ton of other artists (which is why i can try to convince myself it's all about networking, hehe)....so so bad for my time management...

anywho....if you're so inclined to check it out for yourself, make sure you look me up and add me as a friend.

rock the pillow fight

2008-11-10T13:02:00.015-06:00

just some funny stuff to share with you today.

saturday i took part in a pillow fight that my friend dawn organized to take place with her new band, smitten bayou. they played a few sets interspersed with these 2 min bouts of pillow fighting. it was so much fun...i can't remember the last time i had such a great time.

all of the girls dressed up in costume for the event, while other ladies could sign up and join the fun if they wanted to. (only 2 hard core chicks chose to, and i'm not afraid to say that we were all afraid to fight them)

here's a pic of the girls (friends of dawn) who dressed up to take part.

this is dawn and her bandmate, paul. i've got a 10 minute video of them to follow (poor quality, but at least you can hear them rock)...and every band should have a washboard somewhere in the mix. i'm so proud of you dawn!

i didn't win my first bout which embarrassed me to no end. but i did get some licks in the 2nd round (against katie, dawn's sister) and won by crowd approval. yay for me! (sorry, katie) - that's me in the red wig, btw.

way too much fun. stayed out till 3am which i haven't done since i was 21 and don't really have any interest in doing again for some time. and who knew pillow fighting could leave you so sore the next day? (or was that all the dancing i did afterwards....good lord....drinking makes me sassy)

dh and i....then dawn and i. someone wanna tell me why i always make this face? (and thank you honey for keeping the mohawk for the night!)

i leave with you (alot of questions about me?) an artsy pic my dh took of me and (hopefully) a little video of smitten bayou's performance. enjoy! (don't see the video? check out smitten bayou's myspace for some performance magic.)

yes!

2008-11-06T12:25:00.005-06:00

progress and hope

2008-11-05T09:31:00.003-06:00

i've been anticipating this election for months....reading everything i could, watching the events unfold. i wondered if america could overlook the color of someone's skin, form an opinion based on knowledge and not speculation...hoped beyond hope that we as a country would make an intelligent, informed, sound decision for the future of our country.

it's obviously no big secret that i am a dem. i am liberal in thought and action...i raise my children to consider those around them that might not have the advantages they have (even though it may feel at times as if they don't have all the advantages they should). i teach them to have compassion for those less fortunate and show them how to share what they do have when they can. i believe that we could do so much more together if we would just learn to love our neighbors, support each other in any way we can, lend a hand when we can.

i found myself at a bar last night, playing league with my husband and other teammates. the TV was tuned into the election of course, and in between playing darts, i was transfixed. i watched the state polls close, results trickle in, electoral votes handed out and with every change grew more and more excited about what was happening. i didn't even realize that i had been holding my breath, probably for the last 3 months. when fox news finally said the words "obama elected president" and it was over (for all intensive purposes)....i was standing in the middle of this crowded little bar in rural wisconsin. located in the middle of trees and nothing else really, with 2 friends, my husband, and a lot of republican strangers. the time was 10:15pm and through the smoke i watched the television broadcast of people in chicago celebrating. i was watching history unfold. i was part of the change. i was and will forever be a witness to something so much bigger than me that i can't even put it into words. these events were writing passages that will eventually make it into history books...it was overwhelming and beautiful and completely renewed my faith in the country, in us as a united people...and then the tears came.

so, i'm standing in this smoky, crowded, hot little place, staring at the TV and the tears just come. i'm watching McCain concede, listening to his supporters boo when obama's name is mentioned. i hear a woman at the end of the bar say, "well, be prepared to wear a veil for the next four years"...and then, "you know he's a muslim, right?". i'm shocked. i'm baffled. i wonder if this woman ever bothered to learn anything about this man we just elected before she voted. ignorance remains...and sometimes runs rampant. i mean, it is 2008 right? but it doesn't dim my mood as i revel in the fact that we've just elected the first black president in american history, and what huge doors that will open for other minorities in this country, what amazing opportunities that will present for all of our children when we (as a country) have finally decided to look past race and judge someone based on character. today is a beautiful day.

i'm more optimistic about our future than i ever have been. i'm optimistic for myself, my family but especially for my children. i really do believe in obama's mission, and hope that in this term (or his next?) that he can really initiate the changes he has talked about so fervently over the last 2 years. i am taking time today to imagine.

this is my little thank you to the world. to obama. to everyone who cared enough to go out and vote yesterday. you and i have changed the world.

a new dawn

2008-11-05T01:50:00.003-06:00

congratulations obama!

did you?

2008-11-04T11:47:00.002-06:00

be part of history!

2008-11-03T22:07:00.004-06:00

remember...no matter what you do tomorrow, what the weather is like, how you feel, what you wear...whether you're having a bad hair day or not...get out and vote! doesn't matter who you're voting for or why, you'll be part of history when you cast your ballot in the election of 2008...

the last two elections found me wide awake until the sun came up waiting to hear the winner's name. i'm sure i'll probably be in the same comfy place on my couch watching the results come in. i haven't been this excited to vote, well....ever. (a close second was the election of 2000 when i cried after al gore conceded.)

anyway...get out there and take your place in history. this is the one you'll be telling your grandkids about, no matter what the result is. and take some time to say a prayer, or blessing, or whatever it is that you do....just pray that the president elect will be the right man for the job. this country needs a little help just now.

don't vote

2008-10-14T10:43:00.003-05:00

got tired of watching nickelodeon with my 2 year old this morning...and he just wasn't up for watching the Today Show with me, so i grabbed the laptop, plopped on the couch and starting surfing.

i came across the greatest celebrity gossip blog today called The Evil Beet, kind of like the dark side of People Magazine...not quite as saucy as The Enquirer....a great place to waste lots of time if you like the angle. (and i do!)

after reading far too many pages, many more than i should admit to (don't worry, my 2 year old and the puppy got into sufficient trouble together while i was vegging out, but nothing that would physically harm themselves.)...i came across this video and though i would share it with you. it felt apropos as i am wearing my "vote T" today and am feeling quite politically charged.

enjoy...and please pass it on. (don't forget to hit pause on my little jukebox first so you can listen to this brilliant video.)

new zealand or bust

2008-10-10T12:31:00.006-05:00

we're seriously contemplating a move out of the states and we're looking into new zealand.

has anyone been there? or know anything about the different areas? we'd love some input about where to start our search for housing and schools....

(visit vonnagy.com for more beautiful photos!)

cool election t's

2008-10-09T13:26:00.001-05:00

just got mine yesterday...the service and quality are awesome, and it's a great way to promote the vote in november without claiming your party fave!

check them out here!

a new hairdo for me

2008-10-09T13:21:00.001-05:00

curious about what i look like on a good day?

the best yet

2008-10-08T10:53:00.003-05:00

i had to put this here so i could look at it whenever i needed a good laugh. all of you cat lovers out there should appreciate it too! heheheh...

a sincere thank you

2008-10-07T12:54:00.002-05:00

to all of the wonderful beady people in my life who have made the transition from eBay to website so beautifully easy...

about 2 or 3 weeks ago, i decided i really wanted to step as far away from selling on eBay as i could. of course, i was nervous about losing the exposure, eBay is of course wonderful for that...but some of the prices i was getting for my beads was sometimes crazy. i mean really, they are just beads and as happy as i was that my work was being appreciated, i was worried that the higher prices would mean those who actually got me to that level would be turned off and driven away by the out of hand bidding.

so...i thought the best compromise would be to sell directly from my website. there had to be a middle ground where i could price my work at what i thought it was worth, but still be fair to everyone who actually liked designing with my beads...and so far, the move has been exponentially easier and so much more fun than i thought it would be.

without all of you out there who choose to bring my 'art' into your homes, none of this would be possible, and i can't express in words how wonderful that makes me feel.

i'm still amazed every single day that what i create with my hands, in my humble basement studio can somehow capture your imagination and excitement. that my work is out there, transformed into beautiful works of wearable art and is spread around the world is really a humbling thought.

i've had so many clients from the US, as well as australia, italy, spain, africa, france, england, scotland, the netherlands, russia, brazil, and more. it's exciting to me that the internet has allowed me to grow this way, to share what i do with (literally) the world. unfathomable really. and something i couldn't have dreamed of when i started this journey 8 years ago.

i'm still excited to sit behind the torch everyday, wondering what will come of a few rods of glass and a flame. and i just want to thank everyone who brought me to this point in my career...i'm even more excited to see what i will do tomorrow, next month, next year...and i hope you'll stay along for the ride!

peace...amber

the countdown

2008-10-03T16:33:00.005-05:00

anyone else looking forward to his final days in office as much as i am? at least he's good for a few laughs in these hard times...

cheezburger is funnyz

2008-10-01T10:39:00.004-05:00

my friend patrice hooked me on this website, which is really funny...if you're into cats and random humor.

icanhazcheezburger fave of the day :

try not to spend your whole day there...it's surprisingly easy...

LATER....

ok, i've wasted several (minutes) more on ican...and i found a new favorite. i'm signing off (for sure this time)

voice of an angel

2008-09-30T09:24:00.001-05:00

i have a lot to talk about but before i come back and do that, i wanted to share this video with you of a 13 year old boy singing opera...just try not to cry.

right now i'm....

2008-08-20T13:22:00.001-05:00

making myself sick eating ghirardelli milk chocolate. what are you doing?

one to watch

2008-07-14T11:38:00.002-05:00

he calls himself paul blann. and he wore a shirt that said 'paulblann.com' while he played. just a clue about this guys sense of humor i guess.

our friends dawn and drew invited us out to a local bar to see their friend play a couple of weeks ago...and i was really surprised, in a good way.

paul blann describes his music as rock comedy...i think he's almost like tenacious d. it's easy to laugh at his silly lyrics (sometimes) but when you peel those away, he's got a great voice and really nice music. i'm all about the acoustic sound.

i've said before the one gift i wish i had was a kick ass voice. i would love to open up my mouth on karaoke night and blow the whole room apart. it's not in the future, trust me. i guess that's why i love listening to all kinds of music. it really is one of my life's greatest joys...a great song, awesome music, a voice that carries me away like a great book. the best music, the most awesome songs give me goosebumps. hearing a good song feels like love to me.

know someone i should know about? expose me to your faves...just email me! (please don't send me myspace links though, for some reason that shwaggy site freezes my computer everytime.)

in the meantime, be sure to check out paul.

the fourth of july my way

2008-07-07T13:09:00.005-05:00

spent an awesome night with that family at the fireworks last night...and if you couldn't make it out in your neck of the woods, here's what it looked like through my eyes.

***show has been removed to speed page load***

adventure

2008-06-26T11:54:00.001-05:00

a hike i'd rather enjoy via video....and i think you'll see why. got 7 minutes and a cuppa? press play.

baby bear

2008-06-19T12:51:00.004-05:00

we spend every father's day at DH's aunt and uncles house with the extended family. last year, they put in a pool so this year was extra special. the kids love to swim, and my "baby" is really loving the water.

daddy played in the pool with him and he went crazy just jumping in, climbing the ladder and doing it all over again, and again, and again. but he did this really weird bear crawl when he reached the top of the ladder...i think he was afriad he would bump his head for some reason...

well, just check it out. america's funniest home videos perhaps?

the storm

2008-06-11T12:15:00.002-05:00

my birthday weekend was filled with rain...and then so was our basement. ugh. not what i wanted to deal with on a hangover, i'll tell you that much.

here are a couple of photos from the next town over that show the damage from the deluge. it's amazing how nature can just take over. just goes to show you how much you should respect her.

this photo shows the front moving in...it looks cool in a picture, but it was truly something scary to watch...and all the while, the tornado sirens are blaring...

a great shot of main street...only it's normally not under water. the small river that runs through downtown jumped the banks early in the storm.

a shot of someone's front yard i'm assuming. this was what was left after the first round of storms cleared out.

here's the river that turned into a lake. amazing...

flooding is expected to continue here in the midwest as more storms roll in and soak us again. it's frightening when you don't know when to expect it. and there's nothing you can really do once it starts, you just cross your fingers and hope your house can keep it all out.

one last shocking photo of lake delton. this is a great summer retreat for so many people in wisconsin. it's where a huge watershow is held for the local resort town of wisconsin dells. the dam broke, and the lake disappeared. yeah...it all dumped into the wisconsin river, and now lake delton is just a huge pit of mud. we saw video footage of people's beautiful lake homes cracking in half and falling into the lake the day before the photo was taken just 24 hours later.

if you'd like to read more you can find the article here...or watch the crazy video of the homes falling into the lake from the same page.

evil doers

2008-05-19T11:57:00.002-05:00

ack....will the temptations never cease?

i'm exposed daily (or i should say, i expose myself daily) to the ever expanding color palette that we are given by the multitude of glass companies out there. i have a weakness...some might say an addiction, to silver glass. the beautiful, mysterious reactions and colors that come from the battle between the glass, the fire, the flame....AHHHHHH....it's so much fun. (and probably a little futile for me to try to describe it to someone who just loves the end results?)

needless to say, i try to stay away from places online that will expose me to new wonders when my pockets are a bit thin. i try to avoid the temptation altogether. but i know you all understand what this 'disease' is. think about those bead stores, bead shows, bead everythings that try to lure you in at every turn! this is what glass is for me....and take a peek at this.

yes...it's oh so lovely. and i caved.

a new color from double helix glassworks names triton was released on friday may 16 to the delight of so many lampworkers (and the pure love/hate of this one.)

such juicy color and it appears to have a satin finish! it's like finding the last carton of your favorite ice cream at the grocery store. you know that one? it's stuffed behind a half gallon of generic vanilla, like someone else was trying to hide it from you? it's a glorious moment to be sure...finding a new color, which means new experiments, which means new beads.

shameful that a rod of glass should get me so worked up. look for new beads in this beautiful shade to appear on ebay? my website? etsy shop? very very soon. if my postwoman is nice, she might have a package for me today....

holy $!@% bead

2008-05-13T11:37:00.002-05:00

so, i had a customer request some special beads, and i was working on them last night. when the request came in, i didn't pay too much attention to the sizes (they always come to me in metrics, and until i slip out my gauge, i can't really picture it...). the largest bead was to be a 35x35mm focal, and yowsa! i didn't realize that actually came out to be 1.25+ inches round....that's alot of glass!

picture 2 full rods and then some of glass (about the width of a pencil and 12" long)...and this is how big the bead is. i felt like my fingers were starting to burn as i made it, from being so close to the heat for so long, and that the mandrel was going to slowly melt it's way into the table from the weight of the melting glass...it was an amazing challenge for me to work on such a large scale, and even then i could only go to about 25x30mm before my torch and wrist started screaming that they were at their threshold. here's a few shots for size comparison.

totally fun to take myself out of the box and go big! and i mean B I G.

your tax rebate

2008-05-04T12:02:00.003-05:00

received a funny email from one of my family members...how will you spend your tax rebate check???

A user comment from Bizarre News:
"The federal government is sending each and everyone of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs. If we purchase a computer it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Japan, and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to buy prostitutes, weed, beer, and tattoos, since these are the only products still produced in the USA. [And that depends on the weed.] "

pricing beads

2008-04-18T14:53:00.005-05:00

pricing my work has always been a hard thing for me to do. when i got an email this morning regarding this set of beads currently on eBay, i knew i had to talk about it.

the email goes:

I was shocked at the price you want for your 3 bead set of silver plum. I
looked for what just knew was the rest of the set for $34.99. This is the most
expensive I have ever seen 3 beads be for this glass. Just wanted to share that
with you. I always look at your beads.

when i read this at first, i was sad...a little shocked and then even a bit angry. but the more i thought about it, the more i realized that maybe from the outside looking in, that does seem a bit high...but here's my reasoning when it comes to pricing my work.

i first consider the amount of time that goes into not only making the beads, but preparing all of the elements of that bead, whether it's pulling stringer, blowing shards, reducing to bring out color...etc. then i consider the price of the glass, the cost of the gas i use, things like my electric bill for annealing, running my oxy concentrator and exhaust. i also consider my skill level...how long it's taken me to get to this point in my artwork to achieve perfect symmetry, balance and color definition in my work. lastly, i factor in the cost to me for actually listing on an auction site and the final percentage of the sale that (eBay and Paypal in this case) will take from me just for selling through them.

it's all a complex formula that results in the opening price i set on my work.

since i'm talking about a specific set of beads in this case, i wonder if the author of the email also realizes that the beads shown are actually quite large. i even specify in my listing that they are big enough to be used as focals. this means that the winner would be getting 3 beads that could be used together in one piece or broken up into 3 focals for use in 3 different designs! if you look at the price that most of my focal beads (that stand alone at auction) fetch, you'd see where my confusion lies. when selling outright, my focals range from $25-$35, but at auction have gone as high as $70 per bead. if put into that context, this 3 bead set starting at $35 (each bead being just over $11 each) doesn't seem so bad. (and just as a matter of course, the 3 bead set is currently offered on my website for $30 since i don't encounter the same fees)

i know the author of this email, have dealt with her professionally before...so i know there was no malice meant. but i was surprised to get such an email.

i've naturally looked at other artist's work and sometimes had a case of sticker shock, but would never think to actually email them and wonder why they priced their work the way they did. (i know i'm not picasso, but would anyone gasp out loud when seeing a $1,000,000 price tag on his work?) if i really fall in love with someone's art (no matter what form it takes), it becomes priceless. if i don't fall for it that way, i just move on.

art really is such a personal thing for each creator. you fall in love with the work you make with your hands. you practice for hours to perfect your style. you hone each piece as if it were your last at times. you put a piece of yourself in every little ounce...and then you release it into the world and hope the recipient adores it as much as you have. when all is said and done, you are creating to feed something within you that won't be silenced any other way. if other's don't appreciate it in the same way, there is no fault. that is art...

welcome...again

2008-04-08T11:47:00.002-05:00

i found myself being technically challenged with my last blog format, so i switched over to blogger. make sure you bookmark this page for easy reference. i'll leave the old link up to my old blog for about a month just to make sure noone misses the excitment of the changeover.

what prompted me to change up? i found a link from my cousin's blog to a place where you can make a playlist of your fave songs and have them play right from your blog! how cool is that? (you know how i love my tunes.)

so of course, i raced over to the site and started a list of my ultimate love songs. you know the ones...they get you right in the center of your heart and won't let go. hope you enjoy them while you're reading away about my somewhat (boring?) life.

while you're at it, you can follow this link and check out my newest bead auctions on ebay. kinda fun stuff swirling it's way out of my head these days.