Attention

-
This is what's caught my attention today. I have several more in the kiln, and might share some of them in a day or two, but the one on the right is mine... It will remind me to get out of the way, stop complicating things, and keep it simple. The simpler the better when it comes to beads like these. Enough is just right.


The Official 2012 Bead Project turns out to be nothing like I had first imagined. The only rule is No Rules, and in fact, it isn't even a project. By the powers vested in me, I hereby give myself permission to make whatever I want to, even if it's flowers, and even if it's not. I also agree to consult the Divine Universe on a regular basis, to be sure I'm listening with my eyes and hands and heart more than with my mind and bank account. And, furthermore, I promise only to make beads when making beads makes me happy, so you'll always feel the love when they come to live with you. Happy New Year. Hallelujah. Let's make beads.

The countdown to Mexico has started. A week from today we'll be sitting on the beach, sipping tasty beverages, and celebrating two of our three kids' birthdays. Yeah, it's hard to concentrate on beads right now, but I'm doing my best. I'll post a few over the weekend, and then close up the BeadShop on Tuesday and mail everything before we leave. I'll also draw a winner for the Bead Giveaway on Tuesday. I realize I haven't posted a picture of the prize yet. Hm. So distracted. Maybe tomorrow. 

Have a lovely evening, and I'll do the same.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 19, 2012 at 5:59 PM

    Beautiful beads...this is a good start to the "letting it happen" bead project. Step back and quit trying to control the cosmos, it's like trying to nail jello to the wall. Go with your creative impulse, it can't be any worse than blue stripes, right??
    Linda in Tucson

    ReplyDelete
  2. RuthJanuary 19, 2012 at 7:18 PM

    Lovely job of heart over mind!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ellen OBJanuary 19, 2012 at 8:22 PM

    WoW! If that is what throwing your artistic self to the mercy of Karma looks like, then all's I can say is WoW!!!
    Those beads are just simply amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Texan Zombie GoddessJanuary 20, 2012 at 4:24 AM

    No Rules makes for Fun Work :)! It is only 5 degrees here today, so I am very jealous of your Mexico trip lol!

    \IiiI

    ReplyDelete
  5. NanettethenannyJanuary 20, 2012 at 5:00 PM

    Look what happens when you get out of your own way! Delicious beads! I would love to see your personal stash . . . .and. . . . I want to go to Mexico too.
    Warm sun.....drinks.....sleep......drinks......shopping.....drinks

    ReplyDelete
  6. PAJanuary 21, 2012 at 10:21 AM

    I love the one on the right that you've decided to keep! And congratulations on deciding to make what you want to and not be tied to anything specific to do (or not to do).

    ReplyDelete
  7. MoonRaeJanuary 22, 2012 at 4:04 PM

    Have a fabulous time sweetie!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2012 at 12:29 PM

    Oh Kim, just saw your new heart beads...I know what I'm going to be saving for, gorgious! Beth in Illinois

    ReplyDelete
  9. LauraJanuary 23, 2012 at 1:01 PM

    Love the new beads Kim...fun

    ReplyDelete
  10. NanettethenannyJanuary 23, 2012 at 3:31 PM

    I 'heart' the new beads!!! I, also, will be saving to give myself a valentine.

    ReplyDelete
  11. NellenJanuary 24, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    Going where your heart leads seems to agree with you - the new beads are absolutely beautiful - totally different and a fantastic way to start your journey and your vacation.
    Enjoy

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment!

Popular posts from this blog

cats are not dogs, and how tangling string untangles frustration

-
Image
As Airbnb hosts, we have lots of lovely interactions with guests while they're here, and with potential guests making inquiries before they book. I try to be really clear in our listing, about the house, amenities, and rules. The trouble is, some people would rather not actually read the listing, or if they do, they just ignore the parts they don't like. Oy. I mean really, who thinks cats and dogs are the same thing? Today I got a booking for two nights in March, from a very nice-sounding couple coming down from Canada. They were very excited to stay here at Mermaid's Nest , and everything was great... until I got to the part in their message about bringing their cat... Ruh roh... I had stated very clearly in our listing that we allow small dogs . Cats were not mentioned. Neither were goats, snakes, skunks, or rhinos, because I figured people would see that part about dogs , and at least ask before assuming all other animals were welcome. Oh, silly me. Apparently the
Read more

where to buy what i make

-
Image
I closed my Etsy shop recently. What??? Why??? Well, because I think Etsy has done great harm to the livelihoods of makers everywhere. If you do manage to get noticed, which is pretty difficult these days, it's impossible to compete with the pricing on so-called "handmade" goods that are mass produced in foreign countries. Equally frustrating to me is the number of actual makers who drastically underprice their work, effectively turning themselves into voluntary sweatshop laborers in order to stay in the game at all. I'm not playing. I would love to see makers of all fine handmade things everywhere reclaim a sense of dignity, and charge a fair price for their skills and talents. Until I find such a group of folks that I can join, I'm back to being on my own here, in my own little shop, charging a reasonable price for the quality materials and hours of work it takes to make the things I make. I feel good about this. The Shop, at the moment, contains exactl
Read more

soft spring scarf

-
Image
If you come here often, you know that I finished this pretty little swath of yarny love a few days ago. The yarn is from CandySkein , and I love it. A lot. It's a beautifully hand-dyed, washable merino fingering weight that was quite wonderful to knit with, even though I'm sort of a lazy knitter and usually use something quite a lot more bulky. This worked up into a delicious, lightweight-but-warm fabric that's perfect for between-season wear. Pardon my pilly worn-all-winter sweater, and focus on the scarf. It's my favorite style - an asymmetrical triangle, worked from end to end. It has a ziggy-zaggy edge on one side, and a smooth edge on the other. The pattern is called the Hitchhiker Scarf, and you can get it on Ravelry . I test drove this one for a day and loved it. But as I do with most of the things I make, I also decided to let it go. Only three have made it into my personal wardrobe for keeps, and I'm just fine with that. Make them, love them, let
Read more

yarn that speaks for itself

-
Image
I've had this amazing ball of hand-dyed-and-spun yarn for months. It was made, and given to me, by my friend Valerie, which makes it even more special. I've moved it around the house, looked at it, held it, and asked it what it wanted to be, but it's been very quiet. I've loved it so much just as a ball of yarn, I was in no hurry to knit it into something else. Here it is with my great-grandmother's hand carved crochet hook. So much wonderfulness. Maybe sometimes yarn can just be yarn, at least for a while. As the weather got colder, I started think of hats. Not just baby hats like I make for the hospital, but big hats. For me. That wind on the beach can really bite a girl's ears in the winter. So, long story short, I knitted my beautiful, most favorite yarn into a hat. I found a really easy pattern for a beret, which Rick made for his daughter (yes, he knits a bit). Here's the pattern . It's really cute! And here's my hat. Also really cute.
Read more

and what do you do?

-
Image
I'm in my outdoor office this week, at the picnic table on the patio. I have a favorite vintage tablecloth, lilacs in a martini shaker, and tea in my new favorite cup, made by Charan Sachar . I'm considering a new format for my blog, which I'll try here today. I suspect that only three people actually read this, and yet I persist. I like to write, so that can be good enough. I have lots of things to talk about, so I'm going to try dividing my time here between Life Stories and Ponderings, and of course, Knitting. Feel free to tell me what you think, or even just grunt if you're out there. Really, have no idea. Pondering... I like meeting new people. But I hate the inevitable moment when New Person will politely raise their eyebrows and ask me, "And what do you do?" It's sort of like the human equivalent of dogs sniffing each others' butts. We need to size each other up somehow , right? What better way than to sniff out what a person d
Read more