bead joy

beads (c) dana rogers photography

i cut out a bit early on friday on a mission. 

each september, my favorite bead show comes to town: the renaissance fair. i don't know why it has this silly name, but it is the best around. the same vendors appear again and again and they are varied. there are handmade glass beads, tribal silver, rustic African vendors, sellers of looms. its a great time to stock up, since they offer better bargains than the shops. 


every time i go, something different usually catches my eye. one year, i got all green. another, i went in big for the metal leaves. it just depends.

this year, i was particularly looking for smaller beads for the bracelets. while i tried to stick with the less expensive glass and such, i couldn't resist a few strands of semi-precious. don't you love that heart?


i had a super time, but my one sadness was missing my beading buddy who wasn't along. isn't always more fun when you have a shopping friend along?


what's doing around here: 


the 'tour de health' is almost complete. i went for the boob squish and since i haven't heard anything yet, that is probably all copacetic. then the teeth. good reviews there, but i need to floss more. here's what i wonder? does anyone ever get the "you floss enough" talk! i am not really sure why i hate it so much, but i made my semi-annual promise to try to be better. the last leg of the tour is my eyes. this year, i am going to try a new doc who specializes in fitting contact lenses.

this weekend was a blast. as you saw, we had an aerating festival on saturday. sunday i spent catching on my GTD list - mostly research and studying - with a refreshing break out at the lake. the weather was sparkling in Nederland. you can check out those photos on dana rogers photography.


this week is all about processing photos. i need to get through a bunch. on your mark, get set, go!

lawn joy

no so much grass

 (c) dana rogers photography 2010

i am craving a lawn that i can sink my toes into.

 a lawn that is green and lush and not splotchy and brown. clearly, this ain't it.

even less grass (c) copyright dana rogers photography 2010

mostly weeds (c) dana rogers photography 2010

do something about this lawn (c) dana rogers photography

at mcguckins, today i consulted with the nice man who's dealt with a lawn problem or two. it turns out, i won't have to bother with the thatch rake at all. since the lawn was stressed from the dry hot august, it would only do damage. i can use a regular ole lawn rake instead. cheaper, easier, bingo!

lawn-man really liked the idea of the aeration machine. after that, he selected a special seed mix to use on the bare spots and for overseeding. (overseeding is when you put more see on the parts that already have grass.) then i just use a spreader to apply the organic fertilizer.

i hope i am not boring you too badly with this, but maybe you would like a nicer lawn too? maybe like me, you grew up without a lawn and are just as clueless? maybe you can make use of the kind mcguckin's man's help? that's my hope anyway.

mainly, though, i can't wait to show the "after" pictures. to do that, i kinda need to document the before!

what's doing here:

today was the first appointment of the 'tour de health," my annual physical. even as health insurance has come and gone and come again, i have been able to stick with the same doc who patiently answers all my questions. if you live in Boulder, you want Lise Musny in charge of your bod!

after a detailed convo about the perils of ovarian cancer, we laughingly agreed that i much more likely to perish from heart troubles. it's the most common killer and it runs in my family.  for now, pending blood and pap test results, i got the all clear. phew.

book joy: rubber stamped jewelry by sharilyn miller

scan of rubber stamped jewelry cover

Just picked up this cool book. I am was lured in by its cover - aren't these gorgeous projects? The book starts off with a clinic on basic jewelry-making techniques, including wire stuff which is the author's special love. Then it's on to the recipes for the twenty projects.

Apart from the totally predictable stamped dominoes, the projects are extremely creative. One uses vinyl tubing to create a housing for rubber-stamped art. Toothpicks make a pendant. There's also a liberal use of shrink plastic - love it - bearing no resemblance to its original state. Also, polymer clay, which I haven't really gotten into yet.

scan of i love paris - project by suzie heinzel

Because I would like to incorporate my photos into jewelry, I was hoping for detailed how-tos on the cover project called "I Love Paris." Unfortunately, there isn't much explanation re: the soldering process. (No how-to in the front of the book.) She does give the ingredients, so i think going to assemble these and see if I can't figure it out. That's half the fun, no?

for the soldering, here's what i am going to need:
precut glass, .2 mm thick
copper tape
flux
soldering iron
rosin core solder 60/40

will check back in once the key items are in the house!

Meanwhile, here are the book deets:

Rubber Stamped Jewelry

by Sharilyn Miller

What's Doing Here?
Well today has been tough. The fire continues to rage - 0 percent containment. I wasn't able to carry on normally even though i am not directly affected. It's smoky, it's tough to breathe and people are fighting an enormous fire less than a mile away. When I went out today, everyone seemed business as usual, and it just made me feel weirder.

k.l. man is out of town visiting the kids in Los Angeles, so I am hoping for a little extra crafty time this week in between working on my wordpress skills and fixing up the dana rogers photography blog. feel free to check it out for more fire news.