Cherry, Cherry

At least the beads are cheerful! I rather like these and thought of making a bracelet with them but decided I needed something new in my Etsy store so off they went.

I think the heat is beginning to get to me and it is really early in the summer season for that! No rain, hot, dry and wind. Makes one wonder why they moved back to West Texas. Then we have the rattlesnake adventures! Sunday a week ago I found one as I was checking on my garden. Then last Monday evening we had another one in the yard before we went to bed. I really don't like those things and especially not when they are inside my yard fence. Two of the things in two days really worked on the nervous system. Then we had a big old tarantula come walking down our sidewalk and last, but not least, I had a scorpion in my bead cleaning bowl! It was a week of less than desirable creature visits. It can only get better from here, right???? This week started with a kiln full of cracked beads but I hope that is the worst of the week. I'm looking forward to the better part!

Good news from the garden, cantaloupe on the vines, cucumber are near picking size and more squash is in the making. So the garden is doing well in spite of the hot, dry winds. Wonder what would happen if we had some nice, refreshing rain. On a garden downside, some little critter is nipping vines off the watermelon plants. We think it might be a cute little cottontail rabbit. We put up a low electric fence to see if that will stop the destruction. The watermelon has just started to bloom and we would like to get at least one melon for our efforts.

Next bit of good news is my girlfriend from high school days is coming to visit next Monday. Haven't seen her in about five years so I'm really looking forward to the visit. Her thirteen year old granddaughter is coming along so we will have tons of fun. I'm sure there will be a jewelry making session in there somewhere and then perhaps a site seeing trip to Abilene.

Maybe the next update to this blog will be full of fun and interesting things. Thinking positive here. Hoping to try out some of the metal work from my new DVD's and always looking forward to some good days on the torch.

Hope everyone is having a fun summer.

Going Dottie

Seems like I've been doing a lot of dots lately. Dots are sort of a fun thing in lampworking. Lots of things are built from dots. You can melt them in, leave them raised, create eyes or puppy dog noses. Dots are a useful thing in hot glass.

Then we have orange. Well orange is one of those colors that is ever so pretty but not when it's hot. It turns black! So you have no idea if it will ever turn a beautiful orange again and depending on what you are putting with it you sometimes can't tell where you have placed another color! I wasted a lot of glass before I learned to just keep going and see what the Kiln Goddess delivered the following day. I think she did a great job on the beads pictured!

Days on the torch have been a bit on the hot side but the Kiln Goddess has been kind to me. June is racing by, the garden is growing and producing and all is well on Valley Creek. Hope your summer is going well.

Abstract Again!

I just had to do it one more time! Here is another abstract design bead with a matching bead bail. This time I tried some enamels on the background. Not having a clue about what I was doing I think they came out rather well.

I haven't wired this set up and think I will list it as is so someone else can have a go at it.

I really like making the focals with matching bails but I think I'll try my hand at florals next time.

I have spent the past couple of days at my parents home visiting with The Uncles. One lives in California, one in Phoenix and one in Texas. We so rarely get to see each other and that is sad as we were very close as children. My mother was the oldest child so I have uncles who are very close to my age. This makes them a bit more like the brothers I never had. It was a wonderful visit and I feel so special to have these three fellows in my life.

I can't believe it is June. School is out for that age group. Folks are planning vacation trips. I'm not sure what my summer will bring but I'm looking forward to each and every day.