Thank You All So Much!

I wanted to thank everyone who made my sale this weekend a very big success!

I wasn't sure how it would work out, but I'm so glad that it worked out as well as it has. While being a celebration of Robert's return, it will also help me to do two shows in November which I am so looking forward to after the summer show circuit flopped a bit this year for me.

I'm so thankful to have such wonderful customers and friends as you, and I couldn't keep doing this without you.

I hope you have a great day tomorrow, and remember to always follow your dreams!

Bears Revealed!

For those who are just dying to know who and what a bear is and how to spot them in your neighborhood (just kidding), check out the description HERE.

Hope you have a great day.

Passwords - P.I.T.A.

Well, I've been having some trouble logging into my blog this evening and ate up all of my time that I had for blogging. I have too many passwords to remember.

I have passwords for multiple systems at work, bank accounts, computers here at the house, web sites, services... the list goes on and on.

Keeping unique ones for each is really taxing sometimes and my mind just farts and mixes them up in my head. Tonight was one of those nights and I couldn't get the right one for blogger until I walked away for a bit and then tried again. Voila! Success.

Maybe its a sign of me getting older--but not OLD! Maybe I just have too much on my mind. Maybe I should just forget about it and get on with my life and stop obsessing over them.

What do you think?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Everyone!

I had a brain fart last night and forgot to blog about the new bead I was going to post into my Etsy Shop. I don't know where my head was at, but don't worry. With the holiday weekend upon us, I decided to hold off adding the new bead until after the break.

The new bead will be posted here Monday night and in my shop on Tuesday, so you haven't missed a thing!

I hope you all have a wonderful, fun and, most importantly, safe Memorial Day weekend!

Summer has finally arrived! (in spirit anyway)

We'll chat again soon!

I Haven't Heard Yet, But I'm Waiting--Patiently

Have I mentioned that patience is not one my better qualities? I'm still working on it though. Trying not to think about it too much.

I have not yet heard from the Septemberfest folks to find out if I've been accepted into their fall show or not. I'm hoping that I have been, but I won't know until I'm notified. *obviously*

Since I haven't gotten an e-mail yet and the notification date was yesterday, I'm assuming that the information is being mailed out by snail mail.

When I got home tonight from the gym, I thought there might be an envelope for me. Not yet. I'll just keep trying to put it out of my mind. *I really want this show*

As Scarlet O'Hara says, Tomorrow IS another day!

Wish me luck!

*Dear God, I need this show*

Notification Week Arrives

This week I should be hearing whether I will be participating in the Septemberfest Art Fair in Schaumburg, IL this fall. I sent in my application over a month ago and the May 1st notification date is quickly approaching.

I can hardly wait.

This weekend I placed orders for more jewelry supplies in anticipation of being in at least one show this fall. I've applied to two and surely they both wouldn't turn me down! (If they do, this blog entry would be a bit embarrassing, wouldn't it?). Might have try some revisionist history in that case.

Other activities this weekend included cleaning the beads from last weekend (finally, I know) and shopping for a new camera.

My digital camera is starting to experience problems as it would appear that the CCD (the thing that records the pictures) is starting to go out and I must replace it with a new one.

I've had this camera for many, MANY years, so a new one is well over-due and can only improve my picture taking abilities. Let's hope the new camera will help make picture taking simpler and faster yet!

My old camera is a Kodak and it has served me well, but comparing it to the new models on the market it was a dinosaur. It's 5 years old, which makes it a 35 year old camera in technology years.

I'm leaning toward a 10 mega pixel Olympus at the moment, but more shopping is in order. Once I have the new camera, I'll make some test pictures and post them here for you.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great night!

I've Actually Won Something!

I came out of the shower this morning to find an e-mail stating "You Win" and link to a blog.

As it turns out, I've won free ad space on the blog, Timothy Adams Designs. On Etsy, some users will put up posts to win items or ad space by posting onto their threads. I usually post when I see one of these and this time I won!

Timothy's another artist on Etsy who works in metal. He's got some terrific earring trees, among othe things, that I might just have to pick up before my next show. Check out his shop HERE.

Be sure to stop by both his blog and shop and say Hi if you like!

Have a great weekend!

It's Late And I Haven't Started My Blog Yet

Usually, I know what I want to talk about when I start typing my blog. Either I have a new item coming to my shop or have seen or done something that I think will be interesting to my readers (and you know who you are!).

I guess this is not one of those times. Lucky you!

While I am working on getting another batch of earrings made up, time just keeps slipping away from me in the evenings. Tonight it was a doctor's appointment that kept me from getting home earlier. By the time I'd eaten, I was ready to just sit and relax (read: veg) in front of the TV.

I've been under a bit of stress for a while with work and other personal matters, but I am marching forward and soon will be back to my old self, I can assure you. The doctor did wonders to relieve the stress in my neck (yes, it's a real doctor).

I should have some new items by the end of the week in my shop and I cannot wait for your to see the new wine stopper and cool glass colors that I've been trying out in my earring designs.

However, since it is already late, as I mentioned before, it will have to wait until another night.

Keep me in your thoughts and I look forward to showing you some wonderful things in the future. Maybe even tomorrow night!

Welcome Spring?

Does this look like Spring to you?

Call me old fashioned.  Call me crazy.  But this looks a lot like winter!  I'm not sure I like this new-fangled spring where you can get snow on Easter weekend.  So much snow that they send you home from work.

Well, there's always a silver lining, isn't there?

This is my street covered in the powdery white stuff when I got home from work yesterday afternoon.  It snowed most of the afternoon and finally tapered off in the evening.  

Fortunately, we don't have to shovel much since our association handles most it, but it's still depressing to see the snow back after we have had a few nice days and melted the old stuff pretty much completely.

Now we get to do the whole melting, slushy, muddy back yard for the dogs thing one more time.

Spring, when are you coming back?

Welcome To Love Dolts!

Time to reach out a helping hand for those who don't know what love is or what the hell they're doing in their dysfunctional relationships.

Each night as I'm driving home from the gym after work, a local radio stations is playing all love songs and dedications to young lovers from those who call in.  

I only hear about 15 minutes of it each night, but some of these folks dedicating songs really need to re-think their relationships or what they'll admit to on a radio station.  

While I'm not going to give out any actual names (like I could remember them), these are a couple of the more recent dedications that I couldn't believe (paraphrased a bit, but not exaggerated):

CALLER:  I'd like to say to my wife that I'm so sorry, and I'm working to be the man you want and I promise that I will change.  I love you and am trying to be the man that you want me to be.

DJ:  How long have you two been married?

CALLER:  25 years.

Dear caller, if  after 25 years of marriage you're STILL not the man she wants, I've got news for you.  You are EXACTLY the man she wants;  one that is so afraid of upsetting her and with such low self-esteem, she can always get what she wants and you keep crawling back to her.  What kind of relationship do you want?

CALLER:  This song is going out to my boyfriend of 18 years.  He's such a wonderful man, and I love him so much.  We've been together since high school, and I'm so glad he's in my life.  I love you!

DJ:  Marriage never came up in 18 years?

CALLER:  Well, we're both caring for our sick mothers.

Caring for a sick parent is certainly a huge responsibility, but since high school?  If they haven't kicked-off in 18 years, then it's time to turn off their respirators and go and have yourselves a life!  Your mothers got to have a life, why not you?  YOU'RE BEING MANIPULATED or HE'S QUEER DEAR!   Take your pick.

Time for one more call!

CALLER:  I'd like to dedicate this my boyfriend of five years in Colorado.  I love him so much; he's the perfect man for me.  He's being transferred soon to a new city, and I'm hoping that he gets transferred somewhere closer to Chicago!

DJ:  How long has he been in Colorado?

CALLER:  Two years.   We've always been a long-distance relationship, but he's so kind and nice.  I just hope he get relocated closer this time!  I couldn't image a more perfect man.

Of course he's perfect, you don't live with or even near him!  Why wouldn't the relationship be idyllic since you don't have to pick up his socks all over the house and he doesn't have to wait for your bras to dry before taking a shower.  It's easy to live with an ideal, not so much when it's a person.

As a side note, if he's in Colorado having a long distance relationship with you, who's to say he's not having relationships all over the place with ladies who think he's just perfect too?

Time for a prayer:

Dear Lord, 

Help these poor Love Dolts and show them the path to healthy, loving relationships with actual people they know and who love them back.  Their current partner's suck!

Amen.

More Rest Needed- I hate being sick!

Yes, unfortunately, I'm still not feeling well yet.  It's hard to say whether I feel better than a few days ago or not.  I'm taking my cold medicine and sleeping a good bit, which definitely helps, but I'm still not up to my old self.

Today I did get some time in on the torch and will have a couple of new sets to list this week.  I also made an experimental bead that I'm anxious to see how it works out.

Overall, I think the beads I made will be nice, but my energy level and creativity has just not been the same with this stupid cold.

Hopefully, I will get over it soon and be back to my old self.   

I hope you all have a terrific week, and I'll be back to health shortly (I hope!)

A Night At The Theater

Fortunately, the weather didn't get nearly as bad as they had predicted earlier and we were able to attend the show last night.  While getting there was a bit sketchy with the trucks slopping snow and ice onto our windshield, we made it the play without incident.

This performance was an invited dress rehearsal, since Robert has worked with the theater many times, we were invited for a preview and to give the actors an audience to play to.  There were just a few of us, but we had a great time.

The "Jeeves Intervenes"  is a fun romp with a cast of characters including the reluctant playboy, the pushy aunt trying to marry him off, the ne'er do well best friend, the overly anxious love interest with a penchant for Nietzsche, and, of course, Jeeves, the faithful Valet without whom no one in the play would not have had a happy ending.

If you're in the Chicagoland area, take a trip out to Oakbrook and see the play.  

Tonight they started performing previews and their big opening weekend is this weekend.  The show runs through March 2nd.

Well, it's getting late and I really need to be off to bed.  It's been a very nice day (my birthday, actually), but now I must get to sleep. 

Tomorrow I'll be re-listing an item in my Etsy shop, but I have something very special for Friday's listing, so be sure to check back tomorrow night and see what it is!

Good Night, All.

An Early Morning Tomorrow - Time For A Relist

Good Evening, Everyone.

I've got an appointment in the morning with my dermatologist, so I won't be posting a new item up in the shop.  I will, however, be re-listing one or two of the items that have expired lately.  

Which one you ask?  Well, I really haven't decided yet.  You'll just have to check out my Etsy shop tomorrow morning and see what has been listed.  You never know, it just might something that you've been waiting all your life for!

Tomorrow night, we're going to the theater.  I'm not referring to the movies, but to actual live theater by First Folio.  Be sure to check out their web site for more info on their shows and upcoming schedule.  They're a group that Robert has worked with many times and they have a new comedy that they are previewing tomorrow night.

If the weather holds out, which looks like we've got more snow coming, we'll be enjoying a fun evening.  If the snow comes as they're anticipating, we may not be able to get to the show.   Winter is really a buzz-kill.

Have  great night everyone!

The Gym Is Going To Kill Me!

Can I just say how much I hate trying to lose weight.  I want to enjoy my food and not worrying about how I have to work out and burn calories and stay fit.

Further, I want to be able to eat whatever I want and be HOT.  Is that too much to ask?  I see others do it, why is my metabolism so efficient at storing food away for later?  

Where's that Genie bottle for wishing... "Rub in counterclockwise motion and speak clearly into the top of the bottle for best results...DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH"  

Oh well, the skinny people will be barbecued when the end of the world comes by those of us who can wait them out.  Don't take any naps, Papillon!

It's too late to post pictures of tomorrows new bead for the shop, so be sure to check out my Etsy store some time tomorrow.  I might just wait and put it up in the evening instead of the morning so I can sleep a bit more.

Have a great night, and thanks for stopping by!  

P.S.  I'm really not a violent person, and I do not recommend cannibalism as a normal course of daily action...so please don't send me any of your recipes or barbecue tips.

2007 Year In Review (Yes, another one!)

After seeing so many year's in review on TV,  in magazines, newspapers, etc., you were probably thinking, "Not Another One" when you saw the heading.  I know I was when I typed it, but I thought I would be remiss if I didn't take an opportunity to recap the year and it's highlights from an artistic/business perspective.  So, please, bear with me.

Here at Burning Scentsations, 2007 has been quite a year, and I hardly know where to begin.  

Diverse Year Of Beads

I've made a lot of different kinds of beads and jewelry throughout this year.  I've done raised florals, grape beads, encased beads, dot designs, frogs, stone-like organics--the list goes on and on.  I like the challenges that glass affords me and gives me lots of room for more improvement and experimentation.

Attending Custer's Last Stand Art Fair

In the beginning of the year, I started researching art fairs and found, that while I missed deadlines for a few of the shows, I was able to enter the Custer's Last Stand art fair in Evanston, IL.  It fell on two of the hottest days of the year, but we persevered in our tent and met lots of great people including our friend Richard who was also selling at the fair.

Bead and Button

In 2007, I took classes at Bead and Button and stayed in Milwaukee for several days and got really enjoy being in a very artistic and creative atmosphere.  The classes helped me add new techniques to my repertoire and interact with beadmakers and jewelry designers from around the world.  It was a fantastic time, and I cannot wait to go again this year.

New Etsy Shop

I opened my new shop on Etsy in July of 2007 after talking with several people about Etsy during Bead and Button.  It's been a terrific experience, and I've met several nice people and made some new customers through this site.

Art Of Beadwork Show

My most successful show came in early November when The Bead Society Of Greater Chicago had their annual Art of Beadwork show.  Although it was only 5 hours long, I met a number of great people and sold quite a bit of jewelry at the same time.  I cannot believe how well it worked out, and I'm looking forward to next years show.

Additional Shows

After that success, I followed it quickly with shows at work after being urged by coworkers to have an event there.  It was also wildly successful in just a short two-hour time span.  

I also had a couple of showings at the O'Reilly's Stained Glass, in Crystal Lake, IL that also helped boost sales for the year.

Lamp Of Luxury Blog

In late November, as you well know, I started this blog to help keep you up-to-date on upcoming events, new store items, and generally discuss topics that I think will be of use or interest to everyone who loves beads and jewelry.  Whether I've been successful or not in that task is up to you, my readers, but I will continue it into the New Year and see where it leads.

My New Mac

Burning Scentsations was able to purchase a new computer at the end of the year in order to help maintenance of the web site, reduce the time associated with taking pictures and getting them up onto the Internet for viewing.  It has already been a great help in getting my pictures loaded and organized much better and will continue as I work toward a re-design of my web site in the coming weeks.

Review Wrap-Up

This has turned out to be a much longer post than I had intended, but I'm very thankful that there has been so much to review.  As you can probably tell, it's been a great year here, and I hope it has been for you as well.  I couldn't do any of this without the support and patronage of my customers, and I am very grateful for each and everyone of you.  Thank you so much, and I hope to continue our relationship into the New Year.

Happy New Year!

Big MAC Attack Ahead Of Schedule!

Happy Holidays Everyone!  

Welcome to my first blog entry created on my new Mac!  

This year is wrapping up nicely here at Burning Scentsations. I was able to purchase my new computer a bit ahead of schedule, so I have more time to get it setup before I go back to my full-time job.

For those of you who may not be aware, I've recently converted over to Apple from being a die-hard Windows user.  I'm now the proud owner of a new iMac.  It's a breeze to work with and is really going to help me get some new features into my web site.

One of the main reasons for purchasing the new computer is to make the Internet portions of my business be less of a struggle.  For those who may not be aware, keeping up a web site can be a full-time job all by itself, which left me with little time for making beads and jewelry.

So when I have a choice between spending a few hours taking pictures, cropping and sizing them, uploading them, entering descriptions for each into the database and then reviewing the web site or just plain making more shiny, pretty things, I always make more shiny, pretty things.  It's just much for satisfying.

The tools available for making creative tasks simpler and faster on the Mac are just amazing.  I will be able to shoot and edit my own videos for demos on various techniques and let you all get a front-row seat to how beads are created.  I might even just video blog every now and then so you can see that I am an actual person and not a corporate puppet.

I should also be able to keep pictures galleries updated much more simply too thanks to iPhoto all while improving features for my readers and customers.

A complete overhaul of the web site www.LampOfLuxury.com will also be in the works in the coming weeks once I've found the web software that I'll be using.

If you'd like more information on my new computer (don't call it a PC or the Apple police will get you), check out this link HERE.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be back at the torch before heading off to work at the retail job in the afternoon for a few hours. I'll probably focus on doing some focal beads and bead sets, which I will be very happy to show you in the upcoming days.

As always, if you have any questions or want to suggest topics, please do not hesitate to contact me either through this blog or on my web site or Etsy store at:

www.LampOfLuxury.com

www.BurningScentsations.Etsy.com

Have a great night!

He Think's He's SO Funny

When I asked my partner, Robert, if he would like to take a look at my new blog, he responded jokingly wihout ever having read it, "You put the Blah in Blog!"

Nice.

I can't print my response since hand jesters don't translate well to text.

Hopefully, you won't agree with him, but I thought I'd share his insights with you...

Now, does anyone know where I can get a bag of coal?