Thinking...

It's that time again.

You know, when I wrote my first book it seemed easy. Almost too easy. I had something to say. I had the CALLING for something to say. To teach, to spread the soldering love to those who wanted to pick up a torch and create something of their very own out of metal. Book one told a story. A story through basic techniques and lots of love for my students.

Project notes from book one.

Now it seems a little different. How do I move beyond the simple joy of soldering simple things?  I still have a story to tell. My hope is that people will want to continue down the jewelry making path. Make new stuff, learn new skills, build on what they learned.

Right now I am finding the voice of the book. Fleshing out the projects. Trying to be witty and entertaining and thoughtful all at the same time. I know it is in there. Putting pen to paper and fingers to the keyboard is exciting.

I think the journey has begun.

Feel free to leave any comments, thoughts or encouragement in the comments. This is the time that I need to hear from you.

Hand Me a Pen

It's that time of year...
BEAD AND BUTTON starts in like, 15 days and I am packing and planning... (Still room in a few of my classes BTW, check 'em here.)

If you are attending, I'd love to meet you at my book signing on Friday afternoon at the Beaducation booth.

I'll be there, pen in hand, ready to sign your book and have a chat. Looking forward to spending some time with the best gals in the business. If you are not attending the show, check out the Beaducation website. They have classes, supplies and the BEST customer service around. (Plus their entire stock of gold filled blanks are 25% off through May 20.)

Have a great weekend everyone. I am off to decide how many shoes I can fit in my suitcase.

Everything Old is New Again

This past Sunday I went to the Alameda Flea Market with two of my favorite people, Jess and Lisa. I haven't been in such a long time and it's such fun.

First off, the location is lovely!

Right on Alameda Point. It's a great view of the city. It's hard to pay attention when that view is right in front of you.

We started out at 7 AM. Everything there is supposed to be at least 20 years old... and it is...mostly. It's funny, since I grew up with my grandparents it's like taking a walk down memory lane for me. It seems that everything I saw reminded me of my childhood.

For my local Gilroy friends. You'll remember Ford's department store.

There was a lot of stuff that reminded me of my Grampy.

Wood planers.

Oil cans.

And there were things that reminded me of my Gran.

 Accordions. 

Datebooks.

There were life lessons...(HA!)

 How to wash clothes.

How to cook.

There were things I wanted to buy and didn't.

Movie soundtracks.

 Velvet dresses.

Red tap shoes.

Old boxes with old radio stickers.

There were some things I did buy...

Okay, Jess bought them for me. I kind of love them. These are the salt and pepper shakers we had when I was growing up. I also bought a hand mirror, some vintage pins and a hammer. What a great day. We ran into old friends, had good snacks and walked and walked.

If you are in the SF Bay Area on the first Sunday of the month, don't miss it.

You won't be disappointed!