Taking The Long Way Home

I've been thinking about a web page that shows off my customers' jewelry designs, using my beads. The last time I tried this, it was so much work for me I had to abandon it. I have no interest in editing and posting emailed photos, but I've figured out a way to hand the task over to you! My Facebook Fan Page is the perfect place for a project like this. You can easily pop in and post your pictures, comments, and even website and email if you're so inclined. Do a little networking. It'll be good for all of us. I think it's really useful to other jewelry designers and novice bead-wearers to see how other people are making use of beautiful beads. Of course it's my page, so it's all about me ... I'll remove any photos that don't include "my" beads. I'm sure you understand! If you're not already a member of Facebook, it's time to keep up with the times and technology. No, I won't post your pictures for you. Don't ev...

Fixed the "strike through" problem, thanks to T E D, a Google Angel who answered my cry for help. Thank you T E D. I love you. Take your time now sifting through the survey results, if you're interested. I'll be goofing off for a few days. Ciao for now!

I'm seeing much of my text here "crossed out". I have NO IDEA why! Ignore it if you can, and I'll try to fix it!

It looks like the bulk of the survey results are in, so I'll share them with you here. I'll keep checking the responses, and will factor anything new into my notes for future use. THANK YOU ALL for taking the time to let me know what's going on with you out there! Most of the comments were constructive and positive, which I really appreciate. I didn't leave anything out, or edit the comments other than to remove last names of those who signed them. I realize the spacing is a little screwy in the comments section... it's how it came up on the page for me. I think you'll still be able to decipher it. I've already got some fun changes in mind, and will continue to look all this over and process as I go along. You've been a great help to me! I've posted all of the survey results and comments below. Maybe they'll be useful to some of you too. We're all in this together. Please feel free to leave further comments at the end of the blog entry. I t...

I am a mule. I don't care that my sun sign animal is a crab, or that I was born in a Chinese year of the rooster. I'm a mule. A hard-working, head down, plodding mule. I strap the heaviest load I can find on my own back, and go as far as I can until one day I can do nothing but cut the straps, drop everything, and stand there braying my objections to the "unfairness" of all this work. Stubborn and silly, I do it over and over. And now I've done it again. I have a goal in mind, a "plan" for the future. But the thing I keep forgetting is that I can plan all I want, and whatever is going to happen is going to happen without much input from me. Sure, I get to participate, but I don't really get to steer . I have to keep reminding myself to make plans, and then plan to change them. I've been working stupidly hard for the last several weeks, and when I inevitably hit the wall and crumbled, I found myself wondering just what I was doing it for. One thin...

I've created a survey, specifically for those of you who are interested in buying my beads. It's short and sweet, and will help me a lot in planning what comes next for me. I'd really appreciate your input! Click HERE to start! Your reward for sharing your precious time is a 20% discount on your next purchase in my BeadShop , good till the end of March. We're on the honor system - take the survey, and then use the discount code "SURVEY" before completing checkout. Thanks!

Well... since the winner of the February Giveaway didn't step up, I've drawn a new winner! "lcaro2", it's you! Please contact me before Friday, March 19th to claim your prize! It really shouldn't be this hard to give jewelry away!

My cousin Mitzi has a blog. She's a "real" writer. And a painter. And she makes beads when she can get to a torch. Yesterday she wrote about me in her blog, and I just love her perspective on my work and its progression. Sure, it's all about me, me, me, but it's not stuff you're likely to hear me say, even though I'm thinking it. Enjoy The Tyranny of Flowers , and then stroll through the rest of Mitzi's blog . It's really good! She's made sort of a loose commitment to herself to write every day. I'm attempting the same thing, but today I got lucky. Mitzi did it for me.

Sometimes I just have nothing to say, or at least that what I think . It's really a weak and wimpy excuse to not show up. Not very creative... I call my Dad about once a week. He's sneaking up on 81 this summer, his knees hurt, and he hasn't had much to do since Mom died 20 years ago. I call, and we chat, or mostly I chatter on about my little life and things we're doing here. Nothing really happens in his life, so sometimes I'll tell him, just make something up . He'll chuckle, and then usually launch into a story about his time in Italy, when he was very young and in the Army. He lucked into a post-war gig, so spending a couple of years in Trieste was more like a vacation than tour of duty. It was before he even met Mom, before marriage and kids and years of hard work. It was probably the best time of his life, and I love hearing about it. Still, I wish he had tales to tell of current adventures. I wish he was having more fun now . I guess this relates to me a...

As many of you know, Rick and I have been involved with the HOPE Bracelet Project for several years now, and had the honor of visiting Project Mercy in Ethiopia in November of 2008. The project is going through some re-organizing this year. While the young Ethiopian Beadmakers are taking great strides in making the project a self-sustaining source of income, the real need at this time is for silver beads and spacers , necessary to complete the bracelets. This is a call for action! Please dig into your bead stashes and sift out some of those silver beads you've been saving. I promise, they'll be put to very good use! Silver beads should be sent to Tammy Cunningham in Denver ASAP, so volunteers can deliver them when they travel to Ethiopia this spring. Details on the HOPE Bracelet Project, our trip to Ethiopia, and Tammy's contact info can be found on my HOPE page. Thank you for your help! PS - To save some time, here's a link to the donation form for the HOPE Beadmaker ...

I thought the Giveaway worked quite well in February. Lots of you chimed in on your own personal sources of abundance, and I'm pretty sure we all got to thinking a bit more about what we have than about what we lack . So let's do it again! Like last time I don't know yet what the prize will be, but it will be one of my beads, either from my BeadShop, or my Etsy Shop. You don't have to buy anything to win, and you don't have to be on my mailing list. Just follow a few simple rules to be entered in the drawing, which will be held on April 1st. Check back here to see if you've won. The winner has 7 days to contact me. If I don't hear from you, I'll choose a new winner! The Rules: In a SINGLE COMMENT to this blog, tell us... 1. Your favorite piece in my BeadShop . 2. Your favorite piece in my Etsy Shop . 3. One thing in your daily life that always makes you happy. Only enter ONCE during the month of March. (If you need to make corrections to your entry, ple...

We have a WINNER in the February Bead Abundance Giveaway! (scroll down the page if you missed it) Congratulations Annette, of Caledonea Studio! I have two possible prizes on hold for you in my BeadShop. #2.16, and #2.32. Please contact me by email at kim@kimmiles.com to let me know which one you prefer, and where to send it. Thank you EVERYONE for participating. Let's do it again in March! Stay tuned... UPDATE!!! Annette! You have until March 12th to contact me. After that, I'll draw a new winner. The prize is now #2.32, as someone requested to buy #2.16. You'll love the ring!

I need to listen to my kids, and just do what they tell me, at least where technology is concerned. I resist and resist, and then I give in, and they're always, always right. For years I refused to learn to text. Now I love it. None of that hi-how-are-you banter with texting. Just get to the point and be done with it. And even in the chattiest of text volleys, it always winds down quickly from semi-complete sentences to a one-word response. She who uses the smallest word wins. When I say "OK", and the other person says "K", it's clear we're done. Of course getting a new phone helped in all this. I didn't go for the iPhone my kids have because I'm happy with Verizon, but I did get a touch screen model with a sliding keyboard that makes texting a breeze. I had my last phone for over five years. No more of that. I will keep up! I also didn't want an iPod, but my kids knew better and eventually gave up trying to talk sense to me and just gave ...