sprouts

I knew this studio limbo I've been in would pay off in some way. I can never predict how or when, and I think patience is one of my big lessons in life. I'm getting better, little by little, but some days my battle cry is still ,"Patience Now!". These last few weeks have been a nice change of pace, with a rattled schedule, infrequent studio time, and some nice hits of travel. I've had an idea brewing on a back burner for weeks and weeks, and it's finally emerging in a somewhat complete form. I spent all day yesterday working on samples for this new "product", obsessed to the point where I didn't notice until well after dinner that I hadn't been outside all day. I looked out the window and let Rick take the dogs out. I was not going to be distracted.

This New Thing is a bit of a leap for me. Yes, it's still a bead, and it's not even something I haven't made before. What's different is I feel drawn to allowing other people into the process by inviting them to personalize these beads with their own tiny mementos. This could totally blow up in my face, but I've had a dirty face before...

What is it, what is it? Well here, I'll show you. It's a bad photo, irrationally snapped under a yellow light bulb, long after dark. I will take better pictures today...



I call these Treasure Globes. They're hollow glass bubbles, like the ones I've made Beach Bubbles and Snow Globes with, but these are to be filled with personal trinkets, sent to me by the buyers of the beads. They're like tiny wearable time capsules or scrapbooks. The ones you see here are filled with various things from my own little/big world. Sand from Monterey, combined with tiny glass balls, big sparkly CZs, and itsy bitsy seashells. A scrap of lace, a tiny hand written note, and two heart shaped CZ rubies. A lock of hair, glass balls, dried lavender, CZs, and a little pink heart. The silver end caps are stamped with names and dates. Each one is a breath, a moment, a momentito, captured in time.

And interestingly, to me anyway, is that I've had a budding interest in collage art recently. I'm beginning to see how the pieces of all this newness will all fit together (pun intended). And best of all, I'm relaxed enough to enjoy this weird progression without putting too much pressure on myself do deliver. It's a little like having a baby. The baby will arrive when its good and ready. All I have to do is show up and breathe, and be willing to do the work.