I’ve just opened a shop on the newly opened CraftStar! Not much in there right now, but I will be adding more and more as time goes on. The main focus of CraftStar is handmade goods – they are adamant about keeping the resellers out, unlike Etsy which has unfortunately not been true to the handmade ideal. Lots of artisans are jumping on the CraftStar bandwagon – so head over and check it out!

This Saturday, the 21st of April, I will be doing the Bead Bazaar at the Oakland Marriott Convention Center in downtown Oakland. I have been preparing for it for several weeks! It’s the biggest one-day bead show on the West coast, with lots of artisan beadmakers as well as supplies and finished pieces. Check out the website at BSNC for all the show info, as well as a discount coupon.

If you’re anywhere in the greater San Francisco Bay Area this Saturday, DO try to make it to the show! You won’t regret it, it’s a feast for the (beaders’) eyes – and stop by my table and say Hi!

These lovlies are currently listed on my eBay, and I r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to share! I had a request a while back for some of my lotus beads without the raised leaves, and I liked the way they turned out so much I decided to do more of them. They still have that beautiful, delicate look – and they play well with other accent beads as well as any bead caps you may want to use. I did “Wonderland Lotus” in bright, springtime colors of coral, pink, and purple:

My news, however, is not so good. My Mother is ill again, and is back in the hospital. I am so depressed right now, not to mention spending so much time running back and forth from home to the hospital, it’s hard to get any work done. The last time she was there she had kidney problems, and she had to stop taking diuretics. Now it seems she needs the diuretics to keep fluid from building up in her lungs! She is getting so weak and tired of all this, I just want her to be well again. Growing old is not for the faint of heart.

I just listed this very cool set of lentil beads on eBay. I had to share – they came out so wonderful, and I really love the color combination. And that warm apricot is one of this season’s hot colors!

These are a nice size, not too big for bracelets but still big enough for a necklace. The scrollwork is Nyx from Double Helix – one of their older colors, still one of my favorites. I love the warm, variegated look of the apricot, and the golden shine of the Nyx works so well with it – even though you wouldn’t expect the blue/green color to go with orange!

Yes, it may seem like I have been gone for a while. The new meds I got for my headaches did absolutely nothing for me, I am still getting them every day. That was depressing enough, but them my mother started getting sick. This last week she became very ill and has ended up in the hospital. I feel so bad for her, but at least she is currently getting good care.

All this has, of course, made it hard to keep up with my glass work. I haven’t had the torch time I’d like, though I’ve managed to get some work done every week.

You may also have noticed that the link to my defunct ArtFire shop has been replaced by a link to Zibbet. I now have a shop there – it is very much like ArtFire, but much friendlier and easier to navigate. It’s still a growing site, but hopefully as it grows it can avoid the pitfalls that made ArtFire an unpleasant experience. Please check it out!

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it, but I’ve been suffering from migraines for many years now. In the last few years, I’ve also had chronic sinus pressure. I’ve spent the last 3 years (OMG – has it really been that long?!?) seeing my GP and going through all sorts of stuff trying to resolve the constant pressure in my sinuses. I’ve taken all kinds of meds, squirted all kinds of icky stuff up my nose (don’t know why that’s supposed to work anyhow), and have been on decongestants for ages.

In the last month the sinus pain has been constant – I really mean every day. It makes it hard to work, to think, to be any kind of sociable. I finally got my doctor to give me a referral to an ENT specialist. My appointment is on Thursday – and I’m totally freakin’ stoked! He better be able to do something for me, or this is going to be one heck of a letdown!!

Keep your fingers crossed for me folks – news on Aimée’s head as it developes!!!