well, when the votes came in yesterday, there were 2 clear leaders. one of them happened to be the design i was pulling for, the other was a refreshing change of pace that would add some color to my otherwise monochromatic representation of my “business”. in the end, i couldn’t really decide 100% on either one, so i just ordered both. nothing like jumping in with both feet! and here are the winners…

came in first place in votes

came in second place...

for some months, i’ve been collecting sponsors and pledges for AIDS walk wisconsin. the event happened on october 11, 2009 and it was a culmination not only of pledges for charity but for me, a personal goal of running my first 5k. with the exception of a few sparse places where i was forced to walk through the crowds of people (there were 4500 registered walkers!) i accomplished my goal and ran the entire 3.2 miles!

this was a huge thing for me. i had a big night beforehand with a Rob Thomas concert (thanks to my sister in law! woot!) and stayed up far later than i should have. i almost threw in the towel the next morning on several occasions, but thanks to support of my husband who wouldn’t let me talk my way out of it, i did it! the feeling of accomplishement was awesome and just the boost i needed to get back into the swing of my training. next year, i’m going for a 8k…and from there? the sky is the limit!

lots has been going on. i’ve started a new training program, running intervals and working on my core currently. trying to get geared up and in shape; lose that last 3 pounds that’s preventing me from reaching my goal weight…and ultimately i’ll be (trying) to run an 8k in october! it’s very exciting to see things transforming for me physically. i’m also going to give up smoking on my birthday which is coming up in just a few short days. yay for me!

give me about a week or so to get your goody made and shipped, and thank you to everyone else who took the time to leave me a note. (especially stacy - because even though you didn’t know what you were supposed to write…your little comments made me really smile

i’m lucky enough that the milwaukee bead and button show is held every year in june, and just so happens to be scheduled during my birthday weekend as well! it’s always a day to look forward to…going downtown by myself to spend hours and hours looking at true bead artistry. and this year i get to spread the joy since my friend (patrice) is still here from california! she’s never been to this show, and although she would be a regular at the bead shows in cali…i hope this one blows her away. there is really nothing like it. i’m hoping that some of my fave artists will allow me to photograph them and their work so i can so a little show and tell on sunday as i’m recovering from my birthday party…but that’s going to be a whole other story

in work related stuff, i’m currently working on a 1200 piece bead order. i had a customer request a bunch of colors in my micro spacers and to give you an idea of the scale of these beads…here’s a pic. can you say handcramps?!?

collection of 200 micro spacers

300 down - 900 to go! takes me about 1hr 15min - 1hr 3min  to complete a set of 100 since most of them are made with silver glass…and the reducing process slows me down. but i can just imagine the outstanding designs she’ll be able to create with a bunch of these little guys (they measure about 3×5mm each!)

and i’ve finally gotten into using CIM (creation is messy) colors after resisting it for so long. i mean, a girl can keep track of only so much glass. but after a customer requested some of CIM’s colors again and again, i made the choice to destash Bullseye’s colors and open up that space in my studio for CIM.

CIM has the yummiest, truest colors out there really, in a wide palette of hues. and they are constantly coming up with new, inventive colors to plug holes in the market. and good lordy, i just looked at a preview for late may’s colors and find this.

guess i better pay off my current glass debt so i’ll be ready to order again in a few weeks. i mean seriously!, look at that olive green. *sigh*

(p.s. comment on this post with your favorite preview color and there could be a surprise in your future )

today is that day for me. it’s a beautiful sunny day here in wisconsin and i feel like i should be doing something outside. maybe groom the “wishful thinking garden”, or take a walk or maybe even load up the kids and enjoy a brisk day at the park. heck, if nothing else walk around my little town and peruse all of the rummage sales going on.

but what i really want to do is crawl down to the studio and WORK….yes, i have actual orders to be done and packed and shipped. and i still want to do that more than i want to hang out with the kids. does that make me a bad mom? or simply normal? all i know is i need to put the ear plugs in and pretend the world doesn’t exist, if only for a few hours. (or if i’m totally lucky and can be selfish, maybe the rest of the day?)

calgon….