Day 8 - Bead Soup

I spent the day working at my daughter's house, helping her assemble wedding invitations for her business Kreative Event Services. She designs and prints the most fantastic invitations for any occasion. I didn't get home until after dinner... and then went to the movies with my other daughter. I guess you could say it was 'mother/daughter' day.

It was late when I walked through the front door at the end of my very long day... but I still had to make my Charm A Day. I looked through my stash of supplies... but no creative bolt struck me. Then I remembered a bag that was up in my bedroom... filled with beads that 'got away' during my move last October. By 'got away' I mean SPILLED all over the place!! I scooped them up off the floor, dumped them all in a bag, and then completely forgot about them... until tonight. THAT is what you call BEAD SOUP... a big mish mash of beads that don't really go together, but you don't have the patience to separate.

I reached in the bag, pulled a few out, and made 2 dangles (2 daughters... 2 dangles). I'm sure they don't look like much to you... not as creative as some of my other beauties... simply easy dangles. However, to me they look like the beginning of a wonderful bracelet. One that would not have entered my mind had the original vials not broken when I moved. How appropriate that I moved in October... and the beads are mostly black, orange, yellow, and green. Hmmmm... freaky huh?

Eureka! The Bead Soup bag also held my good jewelry tools that my friend Andrea gave me a few years ago (Hi Andrea!). I had been looking for them, to no avail... so went out and purchased a small travel set. It will be nice using GOOD chain nose pliers that actually GRIP when you need them to. Now... if I could only find one of the two pair of crimpers that I KNOW are here somewhere!!!

Have a charming day!

Fly away...

Ahhh.... I FINALLY get to go away where the sun shines all day, and the ocean is clean and pretty. It's only for a few days... but that should be enough to raise my spirits. Just like a flower... feed me, water me, and stick me in the sun... and I THRIVE. Keep me in a dark, cold place and I live, but begrudgingly.

However... since LIFE isn't always fair... in order to play in the sun one must work their butt off before they go... and most likely play 'catch up' when they return. Such is the way it is in my life.

I am back to selling books on the internet... and doing quite well. Slow and steady wins the race, so I'm adding books a few at a time on a daily basis. In the past I would throw all of my inventory up on line in one giant move and then go crazy packing and shipping. Semi-Retirement (or maybe old age) has taught me to take my time... think the process through... pay attention to placement. My patience is paying off.

Working for my daughter, Stephanie brings brightness to my day. She runs her own business... Kreative Event Services (her ESTY shop is kreativees) . Her main item is Wedding Invitations... however she does invitations for all of life's celebrations also... and favors... menus... etc. She deals with the customers and does the design work... and I'm a worker bee. Lately she had me silkscreen a flower on to the front of a Wedding Invitation... and the next minute I needed to sew a table runner and ring bearer's pillow. In the next breath I was Hot Foil Stamping paper napkins and business folders... and today was spent at her house assembling these fabulous Booklet Wedding Invitations. You never know what she will have me do next. It's exciting!!

It's kind of sweet knowing your kids think you can do EVERYTHING. When they were itty bitty kids they knew you could scare the big bad monsters away from under their bed at night. A kiss on a boo boo made it all better. Whip up a paper-mache volcano? Sure. Make a Dolphin Halloween Costume for the school parade the next day? No problem. Teach them to drive? Piece of Cake. THEN... we go stupid. THEY know EVERYTHING... and we know NOTHING. One day, out of the blue with absolutely no warning... they decide we are not as dumb as we appear (although we are still considered old and feeble) and THAT is how I get suckered into doing these crazy projects. How can you say NO to a child that thinks you can 'do it all'?  

Below are photos of the silk screen job. I don't really have silk screen equipment. If you look closely you will notice I used a lot of duct tape, masking tape, cardboard, plastic cups, and ingenuity. To burn the screen I rigged a work light hanging from my guest bathroom towel bar, a cardboard box, and a black plastic trash bag. The only item I spent money on was the silk screen itself... and I got that at Michael's with a 40% off coupon. Actually, I could have used an old pair of panty hose and an old frame... but I haven't worn panty hose in YEARS, so it was actually cheaper to just buy a silk screen already made.

Flat surface made of cardboard and duct tape... using plastic cup as a 'leg'... and duct tape is a hinge at top.

Using cardboard and masking tape for registration.

Overnight drying and dining table.

Close up of finished screened lotus.

If I didn't have the stuff to silk screen, why did I take the job??? Because no one said I COULDN'T do it. We all just assumed I could. THAT'S the power of positive thinking.  Remember Thomas the Tank Engine??? I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN... I KNOW I CAN, I KNOW I CAN, I KNOW I CAN. Just wait until you see what I THINK I CAN do next!!! I'll give you a hint... it involves my bedroom walls... and I have no money for wallpaper. BUT... I have to head south and warm up a bit first.

Stay warm and THINK POSITIVE!