leslee roberts :: shouting into the wind

studio space

when i got home from my vacation in rainier, i began to repurpose cheryl's bedroom into a guest room and studio space. nothing fancy, just boxed up stuff, and got the jewelry-related things in there somehow. it's taken a while but i'm now at the point where i can actually work there. i spend time every evening working on jewelry -- it does wonders for my sanity. the space doesn't really have a "soul" yet but it's changing for the better with every day that passes. i'm aiming for the kind of studio margie has -- comfortable, inspiring, a place where i am immediately transported to another perspective.

joy's show-n-tell

oooh.... ahhhhh... pretty pretties...

ornate component's from dallas lovett's class. joy says the true color of the blue seed beads and crystal is closer to the blue in the focal bead.

red dangles

sparkly wheels

leslee's show-n-tell

keychain for auntie arly's birthday

hooked on wire 2005

this past weekend, lynda and i participated in the 2005 hooked on wire retreat. this retreat was an intense 3 days of classes (with optional night classes) which kicked off on friday night with a spectacular presentation on swarovski crystal, complete with out-of-this-world product give-aways, many door prizes, access to sample books and trends forecasting.

throughout the weekend, teachers were inspirational; class projects were interesting; techniques were flexible and re-usable; students were focused. the classes are small enough to feel comfortable; conversations were easy. i guess it is best described as "everything feels great" when you're doing something you love and are surrounded by people who feel the same way.

and guess who won the grand prize drawing????? yup, it was me.... a beautiful strand of faceted briolettes of golden rutilated quartz donated by the beading frenzy (click pic to embiggen)

so i did actually finish one of the projects... lisa niven kelly's wire lattice bracelet.

i promise to post the others as i finish them....

the tally...

accomplished:

-beaddreamers database design and set up
-beaded vase (nearly)
-cheryl's room all packed up/inventoried and guest room/jewelry studio in place

to do list:

-class homework for this weekend's upcoming conference
-beaddreamers site
-mom's art gallery site
-sun room clean out
-design focus plans
-final divorce papers

overall satisfaction level:

-pretty darn good

heaven in a candy bar

at the end of my last trip to rainier, mom tucked away a coconut eclair candy bar from simply australian for me and dad. i've been keeping it in the fridge and just broke it out... omg!!! it's heaven in a candy bar.

mom's art gallery

added a permanent link to diane's art gallery so we can all keep an eye on her latest artwork. it's on the right side navigation in the links section.

09/03/05 :: this morning we discussed the need for more than just a movie of each piece. it's so much more interesting to have the commentary behind each piece and to show how it evolves. the movie is fine as an ancillary experience but we need a lot more. therefore, i'll be setting up a separate blog site for mom's art gallery. look for it in the next few days.