Drawing Finally

I've been trying to get around to drawing for three days. Finally, I sat down to do it yesterday. The wind was fairly calm, so I got to draw outdoors. What I had forgotten, is how much holding a pen makes my thumb ache. I'm having some issues with my thumb for about the last year. It feels sprained or something when I bend it. So I struggled through the drawing, and then gave it a rest for the night. It feels okay this morning, but then again I'm not holding anything. I'm not giving up drawing or painting, so it better heal up.

Beaded Star

This weekend when I set up my beaded pins in my craft booth I noticed I was out of stars. Did I give them all away for Christmas? Did I misplace them in another bin? So I started a new one on Sunday afternoon at the campground, and worked on it some more today at the laundromat. I bumped into another beader that works at Two Little Indians downtown. I recognized her right away but I don't think she knew who I was. She seemed to be in a rush so we just chatted a moment.

Chamberlain Ranch Shoot Recap

The archery event I went to truly rocked. So many creative people in that bunch. Its like one inspiration after another.

I sold some earrings including my favorite ankh ones that I just made.  As usual I charged my 'I need to make a living' price and the other beaders practically gave their stuff away. Whatever we didn't sell we traded to people for knapped arrowheads or arrow shafts. Ralph and Joe both make amazing arrowheads and knife blades out of stone.

We were going to stay Sunday night and drive home on Monday. But after we got half the stuff packed, we didn't want to lose our momentum so we just kept going and managed to pull out just before sunset. We saw some calves nursing along the road as the sun was going down over the hills. It was the perfect ending to an amazing event.

So Many Projects, So Little Time

I have finished projects piling up. So I may have to bite the bullet and start selling them on Ebay with low reserve or no reserve, just to clear them out of here and recoup some of my supply costs. It makes me sad that things I need to make a profit on are now a few years old and they wear out all on their own, don't they? They get shop worn from being dragged to craft fairs or just from house to house because of moving. So when I come back from the camping trip I'll start listing things on Ebay and I'll give you guys a heads up. Meanwhile I have pouches to finish and we are leaving tomorrow. Ack! Out of time already.

Chamberlain Ranch Shoot is This Weekend

Super busy making things for the Chamberlain Ranch Shoot near Los Olivos, CA. Last year it was rain and mud. The forecast this year looks amazing. So I need to go home and pack personal and camping gear, as well as all the craft booth stuff. Hope we can fit it all in!

Coyote Bead Weaving

No More Daily Blogging For Now

I hate to admit defeat, but I can no longer keep up with the daily blogging. It's not for lack of desire, or lack of motivation or not having anything to say. It's my darn Internet connection or lack there-of. Broadband hasn't worked all day. Last night's post crashed before I could hit send.  Right now I'm borrowing my boyfriend's dial-up, but he doesn't like me using it much because it ties up the phone lines and then our customers can't get through. And it can't handle uploading things like  photos or videos. Maybe if I had a smart phone or a laptop I could keep up. I have another week long trip coming up and no way to blog from the campground. I can use the library computers but only if I can get a lift there, and the library is only open 5 days a week.  They are closed Friday and Sunday.

Sometimes I am so mad that we moved out here in the middle of nowhere, where there is no Internet infrastructure.

Roadrunner Bead Weaving Project

I made good progress on some bead weaving today. It's a roadrunner design. Then when we were driving down the street, a roadrunner ran across the road.

Also a bird built a nest over my front porch light. Wildflowers are springing up everywhere. And there's a mushroom growing in full sunlight in the sand in our backyard. No baby quail yet, but I did see some hummingbirds mating yesterday.

New Projects for the Chamberlain Ranch Shoot

With Chamberlain Ranch Shoot coming up, I have been turning my mind towards Native American designs, or things that archers might like enough to buy. So today I designed a Kokopelli beaded tassel. Then I went to the library to use their copy machine to make some more beading graph paper so I could understand how to make my own designs. I also hope to make some designs with arrows, saguaro cacti, and other southwestern themes.

I also tested the new Ankh revision and it finally looks like I wanted it to.

Friends Visiting

Today Aimee and Sal came by after their trip to Valley of Fire. We had a nice lunch, compared beadwork, and went to the local bead and leather shop. I got some amazing purple cowry shells for Tribal Belly Dance costuming and some cordage for medicine pouches. The Chamberlain Ranch Shoot is coming up so I'm busy making things to sell in the Greenman Archery booth.

New custom order to match the Welsh flag.

Three New Designs of Beadweaving

Today I started an earring with a coyote on it, but it won't be an earring at all. I'm planning to sew it onto a medicine pouch for a friend of mine who likes coyotes.

I also finished a new pair in shades of pink and blue. I'll add the photos later when my wi-fi decides to work again. Yesterday I had them all but finished when the wind became too much to bear and my needle was too long to tie the last knot. So this morning I found a shorter needle and finished that pair. I was going to say they were earmarked for my daughter but that would be a really bad pun.

Then I took out two rows to fix a mistake on the revised ankh earrings and finished the new revision. I think it needs to be longer, so I'm revising it yet again by cutting my graph in  half and pasting it back together with the new changes. I just need to stretch it out a bit.