You asked for photos!

Strangely enough, I get more requests for photos of the huskies than I do for photos of David. But first, here's the only photo of David I have on this machine, since I probably ought to show my new pack in order. I'll replace the photo when he lets me take a new one. By the way, these have all been resized. You can click on most of the images (including the jewelry) and get a larger version.

And here's Uly (Ulysses). He's just posing because he knows he's pretty. I like the outlines on his ears and his eyeliner.

So... Here is Sasha. She's tired out from stealing my socks and eating them... And the from sitting on my bed; I just caught her on there now. And then from stealing my shoes. She's a husky, but she's just 1 so she still doesn't have all that fur and the fluffy tail.

Here are both of them...










I don't know what this pendant thing is, but it happened this last week and has been following me around the house watching me since. I got some taxidermy eyes in and have been enjoying them. The next one is going to have lids and will be available as an instruction packet. The one after that is going to be modeled off of a main (good) character in an old science fiction book I read while I was a kid called A Wind In The Door (Madeline L'Engle) and will have feathers and eyes... maybe multiples of them. Wierdly enough, the angel of death character in the upcoming film HellboyII has the eye and wing thing going, too. I'll have instruction packets with the eye cabs at my July and August trunk shows.

Some Business: Classes in OH - updated 8/09/08

I will be teaching in OHIO in December again. I'll post the schedule shortly.

COLUMBUS, OHIO - 1 STOP BEAD SHOP BEADING CLASSES
To register, please call 1 Stop Bead Shop @ 614-573-6452
Classes running first week in December

Some Business: Classes in NM - updated 6/11

I will be teaching all summer in Taos, New Mexico.

NEW MEXICO - GIA ROSA CREATIVITY CENTER & RETREAT

For schedule, check the website, or call Gia Rosa Executive Director, Julie Rose @ 575-776-2683

Some Business: Special Orders

Yes, I am still available for special orders. I'll have a full studio set up here at the house in about 2 weeks. Orders will be able to be either mailed directly to you, or picked up at 1Stop, whichever you prefer. Just email me with requests.

Classes will continue as previously scheduled. Check next posts for info.

The actual move...

Thanks to those of you who helped pack up my stuff, or gave moral support or helped pack/unpack the truck. To answer your questions, yes, I'm still alive, I made it here in one piece, and yes, Kansas did suck. The drive took 23 hours and the truck was brand new.

At one point, though, Mapquest put us on a windy little road in Colorado that would have been the perfect staging area for a horror flick. No lights, no stars, 48+ miles of not being able to see more than 20 yards in front of the truck. Creepy! We started playing a game of "if I were the director of this horror flick then I would..." That took up about 20 miles.

Love to you!

Moving to Taos, NM

I sent out an email last week telling folks I was moving to Taos and got great response, from friends I'd kept in touch with, and others I hadn't. I got a ton of questions, which made me realize how out of touch I've been with people throughout gradual (graduate) school at Ohio State University. So, when Charlene Steele of Caravan beads in Chicago told me that she's started a blog, I thought... what a great idea!

So, first and foremost, thanks to Charlene.

A long time ago, my family and I came to Santa Fe and Taos for vacation. I think I was 16. It was in March, I believe, and cold. We stopped at the Santa Fe marketplace, and my parents bought a beautiful rug that still hangs in their house. Later, we went skiing in Taos. While I remember the look of Santa Fe better, I always said I would move to Taos. Perhaps I'll tell you the full story of that in an upcoming post. A lot of you have heard me say that over the years, and while you expressed surprise that the move happened so quickly, very few of you were actually surprised that I ended up here.

My friend Julie took a class in Creativity Consulting here in town in October. She'd been looking for a place to move to for nearly a year at that point. We had discussed moving to Arizona when we did the Tucson Gem & Mineral Shows a year ago last February, and when she told me where the class was being held, I was pretty sure that she wouldn't come home. Sure enough, she called me when she drove into town and told me that she was moving.

Her new art center is here: http://www.giarosa.com/

I visited in March right after she had signed a lease on a beautiful place outside of town, and its amazing the power of suggestion, although I think I was already half convinced that I'd be riding her coat tails. I'd finished gradual (grin) school at OSU, was month-to-month at my duplex, and hadn't done any theatre to speak of since I left school except for dealing with an unprofessionally run opera at Northern Arizona University.

I'll be teaching for her over the summer, just in case anyone wants to come visit. Her center has a retreat, with a loft apartment, and a classroom. Also, David and I have a guest bedroom. Its not set up quite at the moment... Should be fine by the end of next week. I'm also still filling orders (YES, I will still be making jewelry & lampworking).

Many of you have asked who David is... Julie had been talking about him for a few months, saying that we should meet. She was right; we met in March. I don't have many photos - will try to get them but he's a little camera shy. He's currently working on a set of books - the little bits and pieces that I've read are really good. I hope he gets the first one done within the year and to the publishers.

He found the most beautiful little house for us and his two huskies. Once I get it set up, I'll share photos of the bathroom and the kitchen with you, but they both have lovely handpainted tiles. Meanwhile, here are the shots from ReMax.

Right now, I am sitting at David's desk looking directly at the Taos mountain. I can see that it's snowing there; David called to make sure I'd noticed it. Mine will be the built in marble countertop shown in the livingroom/den picture, but it just turns out my monitor is too heavy for the slab and corbels - I guess I'll just have to get a flat screen.

Enough for now!