Time flies when you are having fun!  I am working on cleaning out my house in preparation for a move.  We have lived here almost 30 years, too long in one house.  Stuff multiplies to fill the space you have, and I want to downsize, so much of it has to go.  One bag of garbage at a time- or if I have worked really hard, two or three bags out!

Open torch!

Three or four times a year, my glass tribe and I get together to work.  There are always new discoveries, new beads and lots of laughter! These are some of the beads I made.  The ones on the left are a work in progress- I may electroform them, and I may not.  I am thinking about it.  The other beads are the result of an attempt at an eye cane.  I still need to work on that, but I didn't want to waste the cane I made, so they became milli's.  I like the result!

Down time

What it is about so many of my creative friends that makes us feel guilty if we are not working?  After working so hard for several months to get ready for the Kutztown Folk Festival, I thought I would take a month off but that is easier said than done.  I have unpacked, cleaned and reorganized all my show stuff.  I don't have a show for 4 more weeks, so I can relax, watch some tv or read a book.  But my mind won't shut off, and lots of ideas are rolling around in there.  I am spending the weekend torching with friends, sort of a busman's holiday, but it really is a vacation for me.  I will spend that time exploring new ideas.  Some of those ideas will develop nicely and others will be total fizzles, but I look forward to just playing on a torch and having fun!  It is a great way to get re-energize!

Experimental

It is about one week until the Kutztown Folk Festival, a 9 day celebration of the PA Dutch.  It is like doing 3 or 4 shows back to back- exhausting, but lots of fun! I have been working overtime, making beads during the day and putting jewelry together at night.  One night I decided to work on a new necklace and came up with this.  I don't know if I like it yet- I need to live with it for a while.  But even if I decide it's not right, it has led me to some new ideas.  Maybe right before a huge show is not a good time to be experimenting, but those urchin beads have been calling me.  Sometimes you just have to go for it!

Panic time

It is almost time for my annual panic, making enough beads and jewelry for the Kutztown Folk Festival.  This is a local festival celebrating the PA Dutch culture, and it runs 9 days over the 4th of July- this year it is June 29 to July 7.  That's right, 9 days!  It is a tough show to do but so much fun, with all the music, wonderful food and entertainment.  I set up a mini studio and two friends come and demo all week.  So many people don't understand that I actually make the beads. The photo is my work table, and I see at least 10 jewelry projects that have been started (or beads grouped to start).  The festival is like doing 3 or 4 shows back to back, so I need to have a lot of jewelry made.  A whole lot.

In May, I try to take care of all the little details of life so I can spend June just working in my studio, but somehow it never works out like that. 

Time for play

As busy as I usually am, I always leave time just for fun. This week I had lunch with a group of women (and the husband of one friend who has passed away.) We meet monthly for lunch at a new place each time. I also meet monthly with a group to zentangle for a few hours, and there are other lunches, dinners or best of all, desserts out with friends. A local guild, the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen gets me out to meetings and keeps me involved with the local arts scene. Being an artist can be a solitary profession, and I spend many hours working in my studio alone. There is nothing I would rather do. I am very protective of my studio time, but I also need time out in the world. Going to a movie, taking a walk, reading a book, taking a class (not necessarily in my craft) or having fun with friends and family is necessary for my sanity!

Boring beads

Finally, I am getting some time in my studio.  A few weeks ago I did a local show and realized how low my supply of jewelry has become, and I need to make beads before I can make jewelry.  I am mostly missing the "bread and butter" items like small earrings, so I have spent a few days this week making small matching sets of beads.  At least I start out that way.  After a while, I get bored and move on to something more interesting, but the pile of bead sets is growing.  Now I just need some time to turn them into earrings.  Even though I get bored making them, it is still better than almost any other "job" I can think of.