Reaching Higher...and Feedback Requested

Even if I don't reach all my goals, I've gone higher than I would have if I hadn't set any. ~Danielle Fotopoulos

I did it.

I delivered my magnum opus to the Gallery Q this afternoon. It took a lot of wee hours creating to get it done, in this last stretch it took me two nights and a better portion of today from 9am-1pm just to get it all priced and tagged and ready for sale, but I did it.

And just in the nick of time, because we hosted the end of the year baseball party at our house tonight. {So fun! A good way to break in the new home with a party, AND ensure that it gets my once a year top to bottom cleaning. I am going to miss my 'tribe' - and my clean house - until next summer!}

Accomplishing a goal is so satisfying, isn't it?

I will keep you posted on any other exhibit news, but for the time being I wanted to say thank you.

You, dear readers, really bless me with your kindness and support.
You, dear readers, spur me on to creative challenges and pushing my limits.
You, dear readers, are people that I would spend every day with if I could, and I hope that I get the chance to meet you someplace where we can bead until the wee hours together - laughing, sharing, creating.

For that, there is nothing more to say than thank you.

I will be absent for a few days as I am leaving Houston in the morning. I am attending a trade show for my day job. Nothing too exciting. Although I was hoping that I could get a whiff of Lois the corpse-flower blooming the botanical gardens like once every 14 years. I hear she is a real stinker. Wish that I had more time to do anything other than staff this booth at this lame-o trade show. Do you think they would miss me if I 'ran to the bathroom' and came back three hours later? You would never be able to see a tiny bag of beads. Or two.

I really don't have much to say, except that I really treasure you. And you. And especially you.

TOOT ALERT!

In the meantime, I thought you might like to read something other than me blathering on and on. Maybe whilst I am away, you can satisfy your beading and inspiration needs by reading some of my favorite bloggers. Recently, these two talented and so very cool ladies {and two of my very favorite bloggers - I never miss one of their posts} blessed me with features on their sites.

Beth Hemmila of Hint Jewelry is one deep thinking soul. The care that she takes with each of her metal clay silver charms is so wonderful but it is what she writes about them that makes me fall in love every single time. Her blog is a treat to read because it helps me think of things in a way that I never would have, and helps me to slow down and appreciate all that is around me, like her recent post about the bumblebees in her garden, or the joy journal she is keeping. She inspires me with her Your Story charms. Every time she releases and writes up a new one I am instantly smitten. {I wonder what a bracelet with every single one of her charms would sound like. I imagine it would jingle all the way.}

Someday I WILL have one of those charm necklaces. That day may be coming very soon if this show goes as well as I hope. Like this one. For all you Leo gals out there. Courage when you need it most.

silver leo lion charm (animal spirit collection) - courage

I knew that I had to have Beth's charms in my gallery exhibit and they were ever so much lovelier in person. And I have come to find out that Beth once lived and worked in my neck o' the woods, making this connection even more special.

Beth did me a great honor recently by featuring me on her blog. I invite you, dear reader, to go and read all about it, but please don't stop there. Keep reading. I guarantee that you will be as enchanted as I am.

And just on Friday, I was the featured artist on Lisa Crone's A Bead A Day blog. I admire anyone who can commit to blogging every single day. I know that I couldn't do that. I don't even try. {And truthfully, would you really want to read such long-windedness every day? I think not.}Lisa had offered me the chance to be on her blog back in June. But at that time I was so overwhelmed with my show, that I knew it wouldn't work. Besides, I said, I really wanted to get something for sale in my new Etsy shop which as you can see has not happened...yet. {Curiously, I have several people who have favorited me... how is that possible when I don't even have one item for sale? I have so much to learn about this stuff!}

I asked Lisa if we could wait until my show was going. Well, yesterday I was fortunate to be the featured designer on her blog. I invite you, dear readers, to hop on over there and check out the kind words that she had to stay, but don't stop there. Keep reading. I love that Lisa finds treasures in unexpected places. Particularly the dollar bin at Big Lots. I love that about her. I know that we would both have a blast shopping together. Plus she recently wrote a book called A Bead in Time that I have GOT to get my hands on. {Don't worry, Lisa. It is currently in my wish list on Amazon. And I have that birthday thing going on soon. I think there may be a virtual book shopping trip in my future.} Check it out.

Lisa was kind enough to mention the unveiling of my brand spankin' new website. I designed it myself. Yep. Me with little computer savvy-ness could do it. I started it about 9 months ago, around the time that the idea for my gallery exhibit took root. I knew that I need a website overhaul, I wanted it to still look like me, but what I really needed was for this to be a gallery itself, sort of a calling card of my best work. And if it could someday work as a vehicle for e-commerce, all the better. Enter Wix.com. If you can upload a photo, you can make one of these. The biggest hassle came in with the switching domain hosting and email. The rest was easy. And best of all? I can control it myself. {Bet you didn't know that I am a closet control freak, did you?} I can update photos and when I get too big for my britches, I can add that scary e-commerce to it.

I would really appreciate hearing your comments on my new website. It still needs a bit of tweaking, but it is definitely a step up and in the right direction.

• Do you like it? Or do you hate it? Go ahead! You can tell me!
  
• Does it seem like 'me'? Or are you confused when you look at it?
  
• Is there anything that is not working to your liking? Or what is really working well?
  
• Would you want me to change anything? Do you think that I missed anything? Is there something that you hate intensely about what people put on their websites, and did I put them there?

Do tell!

If you are so inclined, use the comment form to send me a note {or your favorite quote, or your Nana's recipe for lemon bars, you know just to make sure that it is working. But I do love a good lemon bar. And a good quote ;-}

So...how is that for trying to keep the post simple with little to say? That is how it works for me when I have 'no words'.

;-}

Enjoy the day! (See you soon!)