Back to My Creative Comfort Zone - At Least for a Little While

What a day. Shopping for more display stuff at Michael's - more on that later in the post. Changing some earring wires for lever-backs because it looks better on the display. When I finish my displays, I may photo and post them - it would be great to hear what you think. Thank you for stopping by, to all the new visitors who've come from Twitter or maybe from a link you saw on another blog. I'll be finding as many of them as I can and linking to their blogs, too on my blog roll soon.

This morning I took some pictures of the stuff I've recently finished. I went back to my comfort zone and did some stringing. It was soothing to not be wondering how to "make this do that or the other thing" and just drop beads on the wires...

First, freshwater pearl, copper beads and tubes and malachite diagonally drilled cubes. It's about 20" long, has a copper leaf hook and loop clasp.

Next, a necklace with aquamarine chips and roundels with freshwater pearls and sterling silver beads. Lobster claw clasp, 20" long.

I really, really like how these turned out. Is it ok to be quite self-satisfied? Because I really feel great about those.

If they don't sell next weekend at Potlatch, they will go up on my Artfire store. Speaking of which, I haven't updated Etsy or Artfire because of the convention. I wonder if I should delist the current offerings until the con is over...

Here's another choker form idea - teal choker, teal Czech faceted, firepolished 4mm faceted glass and sterling spirals and swirls.

And lastly, here's yesterday's swirls and wraps and purple beaded choker again - but I've done a bit more wrapping (on the bottom left to balance the top right) and tweaking...I think it's getting close to done. I'll be ordering that sterling choker form for it!

So, about shopping at Michael's. As much as I'd like to only buy from trusted online sources and bead artists, sometimes I need so get something fast, locally. That means Michael's. I'm not crazy about the local store, it never seems to be well stocked, the beading section, particularly is getting smaller. But still, I go. Today it was raining fairly hard but I needed stuff for my displays for next weekend, so off I go to get the stuff. I get inside and they've put those long poles on the shopping carts so you can't take them beyond the door.

Well, if I hadn't been buying two foam display boards and about 20 lbs of decorative rock, two wire easels and three glass vases, I might not have minded. But that's what I got and I couldn't take them all out in one go without a cart. Especially if I wanted to stay dry and hold my umbrella in one hand. I have a bad shoulder, and carrying the bag strained it. What do they do for people with canes or walkers? I hope they help them out to the car.

Meanwhile people who won't return carts have ruined it for those of us who always take that couple of minutes to do so.

Well, it'll be as long as I can possibly make it before I go back there.