Just like when royalty has been on the throne for 50 years, I plan to consider this my own "Golden Jubilee" year! My birthday week started off a few days early with a surprise party that totally surprised me; I woke up on my actual birthday to find myself on Polymer Clay Daily which resulted in over 40 (!) flickr contact requests; I took a relaxing mid-week day off and had dinner with friends that night; was the guest of honor at surprise lunch at work (again, I was totally surprised); and had happy hour with a small group last night to round it out. Lots of fun and reconnecting with old friends!
GLASS BEADS IN MY FUTURE. A birthday treat to myself starts next week...an eight-week flameworking bead class. I've taken two weekend classes before which barely provided enough practice time. I'm hoping 8 weeks will let me get the hang of it and produce useful beads. You know I love the clay, but the inability to make anything clear is a limitation. I have several design ideas in mind that I want to try -- I probably won't have the skill to pull them off but we'll see!
EUROPEAN VACATION. In May a friend and I are going to London (fly in on Friday and spend the weekend) and Scotland (Monday to Friday in Edinburgh). Everyone asks "why Scotland?" and my only real reason is because I love the accent and have always had a thing for Ewan McGregor since he guest starred on ER years ago! I've never been to Europe -- it's a big trip. If anyone has good sightseeing suggestions for either country, please share!
MAGAZINE FEATURE. Speaking of the U.K., one of my customers (thanks B!) told me my blog was featured in the October 2011 issue of U.K.'s Beads and Beyond. I had no idea! There was a brief period last fall when I noticed lots of hits on my blog and flickr pages which usually indicates I've been featured somewhere. I couldn't find any feature online. Now I think I know why...it was in print. I'm all for publicity but it would have been nice to know about it at the time!
woohoo! I'm so excited you're going to do glass! I wish I lived near you to give you some lessons. But, I'll be moving. Again. This time to Kansas. I was considering hanging up my torch because I'm tired of lugging it all over the world. But, then again if movers move it for me, what's the big deal? You'll LOVE glass. And don't forget to keep your beginning beads (even if you think they're ugly). Let yourself just play for several months and let your beads be "ugly." Hard for a perfectionist, I know, but interestingly, my current style came about from my early accidents and experiments. I have a box full of my beginner beads and keep getting ideas from the experiments. I have a swirl style I see in Czech beads, but not necessarily common in handmade glass beads...
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! an extended birthday festival sounds like a great idea to celebrate a momentus occasion. Enjoy all the celebrations and the glass course too!
ReplyDeleteHi Becca! I recommend the London Eye as a must visit on your UK trip. A picture of oneself and / or friends with the London Skyline in the background is a wonderful keepsake. You can get your ticket online to make sure you can get in on the day you are there.
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