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Hope you're having a beauteous blustery day!

Lazy Dayzee

It's poured rain here for the last two days. The sun seems to have completely disappeared. The sky is fully furnished with gloomy clouds that have a hand in the gloomy mood I'm feeling today.

I've been working on a mish-mash of things over the last couple of days and I can't seem to decide to stick to one particular thing. Make beads in a complete and utter disaster? Clean studio before I make beads? Work on graphic design projects? Stare into space? hmmm... the latter sounds decent.
One of those days I guess...

I will however, share with you the outcome of last weekend's beadFX Beadaholic get-together! We had yummy pizza (and yummy healthy stuff like fruits and veggies too!) Thanks to Jen for all of that! It was a lot of fun! But one of the highlights of the night was our "collaborative beadmaking". One person would sit at the torch and begin making a bead, then pass it along to another to add to it, and pass it to another person and so on... The beads came out rather "unique" I will call them, but the good news is that they are available for sale in beadFX with 100% of the proceeds being donated to a Breast Cancer Awareness charity! (However, they may all be sold as I write this!)



Somehow, my posts are always much wordier than I originally expect ... not that it's a bad thing I suppose. But it brings me to a thought: How many of you are on Twitter? I've had a couple of people ask me about it and even a couple officially "follow" me on Twitter, even though I have never posted. I have to be honest, I signed up for Twitter with a specific group in mind that I was interested in "following" and only ever read other "tweets" as I think they are called? The benefit to Twitter is (going back to my original point about my posts always being much longer than anticipated) is that you can post or "blog" brief little notes here and there. Tweets are short and sweet. I've posted a poll on the right-hand side of my blog here in regards to Twitter'ing ... please let me know what YOU think! (Post a comment too!)

awww well... I think I'll go back to my "staring into space" idea I had earlier. Cheers.

I'm on facebook!

Just a quick post and run... I wanted to let you all know that I now have a new AirWynn Glass Designs Fan Page on Facebook! I encourage you all to join as a way to get updates on my shows and other events, photos of my new work, the ability to purchase my work online, free bead giveaways from time to time and a whole lot more! You can become a fan by searching AirWynn Glass Designs on Facebook or via my website home page!

Thanks!

After the Show

Hello all,
I'm back from the Oasis show and it was great! I was feeling well all weekend thank goodness. I wanted to thank those of you that came out the visit the show! Thank you for all the get-well wishes you've sent via email as well as those of you that stopped by my booth to chat, I greatly appreciate it!

For anyone who didn't get a chance to come to the show, or didn't get a chance to snag a certain bead that you might have had your eye on... I've listed some new beads available for sale in my Etsy shop! www.airwynnglass.etsy.com

On a slightly different subject... I also had quite a few questions at the show regarding the "Graphic Design" brochure I had available on my table. Many of you asked if I had a set price for logo design. The answer: No, I do not have a set price for designing an image or logo as all logo designs vary of course. I will work with you individually to discuss what you would like and I will provide you with a customized quote. I design logos, websites, brochures, posters, business cards, etc. If any of you would like me to mail you a brochure/flyer along with my business card, please just send me an email with your mailing address and I'd be more than happy to mail you information!

After every bead show, I seem to come home with a mind full of creative ideas and designs that I'm anxious to try at the torch! I'll be busy in the studio until my next show on May 2nd (Toronto Bead Society Spring Bead Fair information can be found on my website). Until then, enjoy the beginnings of Spring weather and let's all hope the snow is gone for good!

Take care everyone.

Unexpected Outcome :(

I know I said I'd be back after my show in the next couple of weeks, but I thought I'd let you guys know the outcome of my doctor's visit today. It was quite unexpected. As I said in my last post last night, I was walking in there thinking I had an ulcer, and that "no big deal" it can be healed by cutting out all acidic and spicy foods and taking medication. WRONG! I walked out of there with the news that I will have to go through surgery to have my gall bladder removed! For those of you who know me at all, you know that I'm a huge wimp when it comes to any phrase that includes the words "blood", "surgery", "needles", etc. Needless to say I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing. Anyone had their gall bladder removed?!?! Please let me know I have nothing to be worried about! :( Apparently I have a gall stone and a polyp (xtra tissue in the gall bladder) as well as an over-production of acid and bile (lovely eh?). The acid reflux is what was causing the extreme pain in my abdomen and causing me to be sick to my stomach. Hopefully the ultrasound on my heart will find out the separate issue that perhaps caused me to faint and the dizziness. Lastly, my blood pressure is a little closer to normal today. It was 170/102 last week, this week it's 142/82. I go back to my family physician in one month's time to check that out again.

Sheesh... I guess I can't complain now. At least I know what's wrong with me and as nervous as I am about the surgery (I guess I just don't like the thought of being cut open) I know that my pain will stop once I'm all better! :)

Wish me luck. Now it's just waiting for the surgeon to call me. Goodbye tomato pasta sauce. Goodbye orange juice. Goodbye yummy buffet dinners.

Under the Weather

First off, let me apologize for the long silence on here... I don't want to bore you with my story about feeling like garbage for the last month (so feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph!) ... but for those of you that are interested, I have been very sick for the last month with excruciating stomach pains, being sick to my stomach, dizziness and periods of extreme weakness. Also, for the second time in my life, I fainted last week which really wiped me for the rest of the day thereafter. I've been in and out of the doctor's office, the hospital for numerous check-ups and tests (including an Upper G.I. series test which wasn't as horrible as my mind had imagined). I've had an ultrasound on my abdomen and will be going in for an echocardiogram (ultrasound on my heart) in the week or two ... still waiting for the hospital to call me! My first thought was that I had developed an ulcer, but realized over an extended period of time that the foods that I thought would aggravate it, did not ... and foods that I thought would be a-ok, made me feel like I wanted to crawl up in a ball and cry throughout the night and following day. Let's just say I'm really anxious to find out the issue so that I can correct it with diet and/or medication. I go in for another doctor's appointment tomorrow evening to find out all the test results and do a second check on my blood pressure (which was outrageously high at my last appointment, especially for my age!) That really worries me ... as I don't think my heart issue and my stomach issue have anything to do with one another. :( Due to the fact that I've felt like garbage for the last month, I haven't been able to be in the studio as often as I would of liked! This really worries me, as many of you know the Canadian Bead Oasis Show is coming up next weekend ... and I'm always looking to have more show stock than what I have on-hand. I'm hoping to feel well enough everyday leading up to the show to at least get a couple of hours in each day at the torch.

So, onward... back to business.
I've put aside my cowardly thoughts on transferring my website files from my old PC to my new MAC computer! I was really nervous about doing it because with the nature of all of my website files being "live" to the world wide web, destroying the local path to all those files could have resulted in that annoying "Page cannot be displayed" message. Needless to say, it did go well and all my website files are safe and sound on my MAC!

I've uploaded the 6th gallery page as promised over a month ago (sorry about that!) and I WILL be sending out an email newsletter SOON! As for the additions to the gallery, all will be available for sale at the Oasis show March 20-22 in Toronto, ON - so if you're in the area please stop by and check out all the beady things the show offers (and of course, you'll have to stop by my booth and introduce yourself!)

Well, this seems to have dragged on a bit longer than originally anticipated. I must get back to my laundry and finish some other small tasks before hitting the sack early with my book. Thanks for chiming in everyone. I'll be back after my show! Hope to see you all there!

New Work in the Works!

Hi all! I just wanted to chime in here for a quick update... I wanted to let you all know that I just uploaded the last of the first (hope that makes sense) gallery page (I had only partially updated the photos on page 1). I've been really busy at the torch these last couple of weeks, working on some new techniques and new (or just different) styles than what you've seen from me in the past. I'm excited to debut them on a sixth gallery page soon enough, but none will be offered for sale on Etsy, eBay or otherwise until after the Canadian Bead Oasis Show in late March. If you're planning on coming to the show, take a peak at my new gallery pages in the next coming weeks, take a visual note of the beads you like and hurry into the show first thing on Friday morning to snag the ones you want ... many of my new beads will not be able to be closely reproduced due to some new reactive colours of glass I've been working with! You'll see what I mean when you take a look at my site! They have wonderful variations, changing colour hues, oilslick shimmer and dichroic sparkle! I will not be taking any custom orders from now until after the show, so hopefully you can make it out to see the beads in person!

I'm excited to announce that I am now a "MAC-User", well sort of. I'm getting the hang of it, slow but sure. I am amazed at how different a Mac is from a PC ... but I have to say even in the last three days I have come to the realization that I love it a whole lot more (also because I have a designer-brain and it seems more convenient design and graphic-wise!) But as I said, I'm still trying to get the hang of it, so if any of you out there reading this have any useful hints, tips or tricks for me, please leave a comment to share!

I better get back to my beads (they've been asking me to take photos of them for the last few days) so I shall take photos of them! Photographing beads is always a time consuming thing to do ... and that is why my next (6th) gallery page will be up in a week or two! I'll be sending out a long-overdue newsletter to my email list in the next couple of weeks as well so if you don't want to miss that, sign up for my emailing list on the home page of my website www.airwynnglass.com and make sure to keep an eye out for something from me!

A New Beginning

Even though I'm 16 days late, it's a new year and I'm making some changes, both creatively and personally. First off, you will now see that the primary location for my blog entries is right here on blogspot. A few months ago, I posted a poll for all of my site visitors asking where they preferred to read my blog; here on blogspot or continue to post directly on my website. Well, many of you said that you preferred a more interactive blog with the ability to "heart" and subscribe to your favourite entries, comment on what's been said, visit blog-related links and so on... So here it is, the new and improved location for all of my blog updates! Hope you like it!

Bear with me folks... the gallery update on my website is in sight, it's taken me a little longer than originally expected to take photos of all the beads, and post them. I promise it will be updated soon! As for the new beads on Etsy, I've decided that I don't want to reveal any new series of beads online until after the Canadian Bead Oasis show at the end of March. If you're in the Toronto area, be sure to come visit me for first dibs on my new styles! After the show, I'll take a few days to load new beads on Etsy, available for everyone!

Just a tidbit of news to share: One of my vessel pendant beads was featured in the current issue of Flow Magazine; the 4th Annual Women In Glass issue! You'll find me on page 10, along with many other talented gals from all parts of the world! Look for me in the next issue (Spring 2009) also!


Well I think I'll wrap up today's post, save some chat for the next coming days. Feel free to comment on my posts as you wish, even if it's just to say "hey" ... just because you can! hahaha

Thanks everyone for chiming in, talk soon.

It's Over Now | Back to Business

I feel like I can breathe again ... the Christmas holiday season has always been my favourite (with Halloween being a close second) but it is indeed a stressful time of year no matter how hard you try to make it easy-going. Realizing that it's been nearly a whole month since I last posted, I'm trying to think back to what kept me so darn busy. It did however, seem that I was out shopping almost every night even though I had thought I was successful in completing my Christmas shopping early. I had several issues with the gifts I had for a few people I had bought for early, which led to numerous trips to the same stores, countless phone calls to every Home Hardware in the province and an exchange or two due to shotty manufacturing of an expensive item! Anyway, it's all over now and everything turned out very nicely! The highlight for me was watching my parents open the gift I gave to them! I had been wanting to give them this gift for the last three years or so but it just never seemed to work out. I dug out the old video camera from the basement (which has been broken for about 11 years with a half-used tape stuck inside) and I got all of the home videos transferred to DVD's! It was so great to watch old family vacations and birthday parties, forgetting we ever looked the way we did back then! Needless to say the out-of-date video camera is no longer, in order for the tape that was in there to be removed without getting damaged, but it's the memories that were on those tapes that are important! I got some pretty nice gifts as well! I got a Hydroponic Herb Garden in which I was eager to plant the pods on Christmas Day and already I'm seeing sprouts come up! It holds seven "gourmet" herbs including Italian Basil, Purple Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Cilantro, Dill and Chives. It's really neat to see them sprout up without even being in dirt! My sister got me a lovely Lennox Disney Tinkerbell to add to my collection! She sits upon a minty green coloured thread spool and she has beautiful pearlescent wings! She's wearing a crystal necklace too! Keeping with my Disney-themed collection, I got a dish set that displays original black and white sketch images of Mickey Mouse in different positions using different expressions, with artist's notes and such from 1937. It's so unique, yet it doesn't scream out loud DISNEY, it has a more subtle, mature feel to it. Jay, my fiance, got me a beautiful handmade piece that I fell in love with three years ago! It's a hand-carved, hand-blasted and hand-painted piece of glass with a wooden base. It's a beautiful flowing mermaid painted in a Monet-sorta-style using my favourite colours; teal green that fades to celadon, fades to mint green... it's stunning! It has a light behind it so it gives off a nice soft light! He also got me a really nice tri-pod for our new camera! Not only will it make it easier to take photos of my beads, it will help in taking photos outside and in the dark, with a steady surface! Both Jay and I are excited to take up photography as a hobby, snapping interesting scenes while out for a walk or simply taking more photos at home of family and friends!

Perhaps it's because of all the holiday candy and chocolates, turkey dinners and desserts, along with quick fast-food meals while shopping in the malls all month long ... I've been feeling rather "sluggish" lately with very little energy and some days if I had of allowed myself, I would of stayed in bed 'til 1pm! Even with my late nights, going to bed at 2 or 3am, sleeping in past 10:30am bothers me, leaving me with a feeling that I wasted my entire day merely because I didn't get an early start at my day. I don't know. So beginning January 2nd (after one last New Years Day turkey dinner!) Jay and I have decided to do a 30-day detox! It may end up being a 21 day detox, or it may even end up being a 14-day detox, but gawsh'darn it I am going to try my best at it! I'm not setting myself up for failure by thinking I won't succeed, I'm just being realistic ... detox systems are hard to stick to! I'm really looking forward to the fresh, energetic feeling I'm hoping I'll get from it!

Back to business: I want to thank all of you for all of the Christmas custom orders, it is greatly appreciated! Those orders that were not Christmas gifts and for those of you that said it was ok to wait until January, I will be working on your beads again starting tomorrow and hopefully have them all shipped out by the end of the weekend. Thanks for your patience! Also, I'm still working on creating new images for my gallery pages and Etsy so stay tuned for that too!

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday season, no matter what and how you chose to celebrate it! I'll be back in the new year with the last FREE Bead Giveaway for voting for my site! Good luck everyone and thanks for chiming in!

'Tis the season to be cheery!

Happy December! I love this time of year... to me, December means it is officially the "Christmas Holiday Season"! I'm even anxious to wrap some of the gifts I've bought already! (and it doesn't help that I seem to have this uncontrollable urge to buy Christmas wrapping paper every time I see it for fear I won't ever see that same design again!) Unlike other years, I didn't just wander around the malls aimlessly with no ideas for anyone. This year, I've been successful in buying something for at least one person every time I've been out shopping, and it feels nice to know that I won't have to trek through ridiculously irritable crowds in a mall that feels more like a sauna, feeling hopeless as I run out of shopping days before Christmas Eve! Aside from shopping, I've also been working on some new things in my studio! My first attempt at this new technique didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to, but I'll try again tomorrow!

Since it's December, it also means that it's time for another bead giveaway for all the voters out there! Congratulations to Loretta V. of Tampa Florida this month! Check out the home page to see what she's won! Thanks again to everyone that votes! Starting January 1st, I will no longer be having a Voting Giveaway Contest. I am finding that the two sites in which you vote on are experiencing technical difficulty more and more each month. It is becoming harder for me to track the votes, therefore the ranking of my site seems to go up and down drastically each and every day. By all means, you may still vote for my site if you wish ;) ... but just please know that December will be the last month for a free bead giveaway. I will be announcing the winner in early January (most likely not Januray 1st, as I will be busy with family on New Years Day). Thank you again to all those that have voted for my site day after day, I truly appreciate it! I'm sure I will have some other kind of free bead contest in the near future, I just have to think of something! haha

Well, I should get to bed so I can have an early start at the torch tomorrow! Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season (I'll be back in a week or two I'm sure but I just wanted to spread some holiday cheer tonight). Thanks for stopping by ...and remember to keep a watch out for some new beads in the gallery and on Etsy soon!