I am in love with Kumihimo….. I took a Beaded Kumihimo class on a cold Saturday in December.  I had already tried it once with fiber and quite enjoyed the outcome. But the added sparkle of beads on the cord attracted me. I took my little disk, my prepared cords and bobbins complete with beads and spent a couple of hours learning the basics of making a beaded bracelet. Heres a picture of  my finished piece! It’s all dressed up with silver end caps and a little dangle just for fun. I liked it so much I plan on making  a necklace in black!  So what is Kumihimo? Its a type of braiding and uses a marudai though most of us beginners use a simple foam disk.  For more detailed information check out this site www.whatiskumihimo.com

Driving  along the freeway the other day we saw this funny little (and I mean LITTLE) car – the driver was waving and smiling as I took this photo. How could you not laugh? Apparently they are located in a town close to where I live. Check out their website!   theluckycookiecompany

Time for some Bagpipe music!! Who can listen to this and NOT tap their feet?

This is such a busy time of year for everyone…. rush rush everywhere. I have been busy making beads and just filled a LARGE order to Russia!! So nice to think my little beauties find a home so very far away. Amidst the hustle and bustle we hear news about the USPS and how we might actually lose our 6 day a week delivery. It got me thinking about Snail Mail. So few of us actually communicate that way anymore, we use email and it’s all so very informal. But nothing beats sitting down with letter in hand and a nice cup of tea – getting ready to read the latest from a friend. I know I have saved the letters and cards of friends and family. So much of history has been captured for example in letters home from soldiers or adventurers. If we use email will that be saved in family archives for posterity?

Belgian artist Wim Delvoye has certainly got an interesting way of looking at things that many of us would just discard. Old used tires are frequently seen tossed into ditches, left in piles at the junkyard or stashed behind the garage when we no longer know what to do with them. Besides the preferred manner of disposal which is recycling, Wim has managed to create some of the most unusual works of ‘rubber art’ you may ever see!  Here is a link to his website  [Wim Delvoye], which is very clever in itself. You can see his photography, machinery, tires and other rubber sculptures. Marvelous, beautiful, scary – whatever you think he certainly has a fertile and creative mind!

• You have a flower garden just so you can have models for your next set of beads…
• You notice instead of it being dark outside, it’s Moretti black…
• You chase firetrucks…
• You pause the evening news so you can see the anchors necklace…
• Your favorite coffee cup sits on your work table with coffee and pulled glass in it…
• The neighbors know from the squeals in the morning that you just pulled your best set ever out of the kiln.

“When he began to eat pie, he wished he had eaten nothing else. He ate a piece of pumpkin pie and a piece of custard pie, and he ate almost a piece of vinegar pie. He tried a piece of mince pie, but could not finish it. He just couldn’t do it. There were berry pies and cream pies and vinegar pies and raisin pies, but he could not eat any more.” - From Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This year we feasted on a treat of homemade Chocolate Pumpkin pie made by my daughter-in-law . Now I am a fan of pumpkin!!!

Ugh. The weather is grey and dreary. So is the news out of Europe and elsewhere. Jobless rate going up … down… up. People are marching and protesting the lackluster performance of bureaucrats and politicians. Disgust abounds on the political front. The environment is getting worse and we keep hearing how our behavior harms it daily. Depressing news indeed. But…… despite all that there is beauty all around us that lifts our souls and makes us believe there is a reason to be here. Check out this video below and make sure to turn up your volume!