Watch out 21st Century...Here, I Come!

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." ~ Alvin Toffler

Oops! Sorry about neglecting the blog for the past few days. We are in the throes of baseball and softball around here and it is dashing from one game to the next, sometimes back to back, like last night. Tiny Dancer won 4-0 but Rocket's team made too many errors to make up the 6-5 deficit in a game that was essentially a forfeit as the other team only had 6 players and added a bunch of 11 year olds to the 14/15 yo roster. I spend every single day at a ballpark in June and July, and I am really not exaggerating. Tonight is the lone exception, and Tiny Dancer and I are going to see Snow White and the Huntsman (can't wait!). We had a tournament last weekend where my son Rocket's team took first place and got home way late on Sunday and then we have had three games already this week and it is only Wednesday! Then the allergies hit last night. I have been more fuzzy headed than normal, sneezing uncontrollably, and this is usually what hits me mid July. Ugh. It has been all I can do to stay awake.

But today is the first day of summer, so there is much to be celebrated! What are you doing on this longest day of the year?

I have been nose to the grindstone for some projects... design work for a new design team that I am beyond proud to be a part of... a blog hop celebration for the new Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry book (there will be a giveaway this weekend! Stay tuned!)... some new designs for the Nunn Design Innovation Team due shortly... plus some special projects for me that have been more than a year in the making. And while I can be somewhat mobile.... not everything works on the road or at a dusty ballpark so the first thing to get neglected is this space. And that makes me sad, because I have missed you all!

On Friday I propelled myself swiftly into the 21st century with the purchase of my very first smartphone. The girl that was helping us took one look at my sad little Motorola flip phone and quietly proclaimed "Wow!" It was clear that I was making a big leap forward. We had the same plan with our cell phone carrier since about 2007 and have only had one cell carrier in the 15 years we have had phones that aren't attached to an outlet in our house. They don't sell those particular flip phones anymore and they don't have the plan that we were grandfathered under. We felt that with the impending move of Rocket to high school next year and the fact that he is being let loose in the world a bit more, that we needed a way to get in touch with him via text or mobile, so he got his first phone as well. I am thinking that this is great leverage, hmmm? But you should have seen the pouting. There was no one sadder on Friday than Tiny Dancer who realized that she wasn't getting one at all. But a 6th grader has little need for one, and we assured her that her day would come. And besides, she is having so much fun sharing in my new toy that she hardly notices.

I got the Samsung Galaxy SII. Oh, boy! This thing is amazing! The screen resolution is incredible, there are so many apps that I can see myself using quite a bit, I can get music and movies and television (I haven't yet, but I can!), and there are loads of games and other productivity apps that are really mind-blowing. I feel a bit like a fish out of water, but I am dipping my toe in. There is a class for people like me in the coming weeks and I will be there to figure this whole thing out. I feel like I am babying it quite a bit, but I would be horrified if something happened to it. I got a rubbery jelly red protective case and I usurped the custom made leather sleeve that I had made for my hubby's work smartphone (that he hates and never uses) until I can buy the one the perfect one (like this one) from my friend Lori of Waterstone Studio.

{Isn't this Motley sweet? I am blown away by the closeup detail this 8MP camera can get! She is available in my Etsy store right here..}

I spent a lot of time in the car driving back and forth an hour+ each way to the ballpark for the tournament this past weekend which gave me ample time to play. I was on Facebook and sending emails. I took some pictures of some new Simple Truths on the phone (the camera is by far one of the best things!) and was able to upload 7 new listings to my Etsy shop all while sitting in the car (no, I wasn't driving!) just in time for the first ever Simple Truths Celebration blog hop on July 13th (still time to jump in!). There is a small but mighty group of awesome people ready to show off what they have made and I can't wait! I think I will have to make a few things myself.

I was trying to figure out how to get this post to show up in my blog for the past two days, but I can't seem to make it work....yet. I love the idea that I can be truly mobile. I like to write a lot and add pictures so I am not sure if it will work for me but I will keep trying to make it work!

But the real reason you are here today is to see the goodies that I have been setting aside for one lucky commenter on my Bead & Button exploits. I have put together a little coordinated goodie bag for one commenter that includes...

...soft peach colored wood slices with the most lovely shimmer and shape
...carved wood 'Buddha' beads with great texture and gold leafing
...faux sea glass strands in amber, emerald and mint
...one little 'Simple Truth' charm with the word 'believe' in a soft peachy pink
...a bottle cap bead from Glass Garden Beads
...an aquaterra jasper egg shaped bead with awesome teal color and earthy veining
...a partial strand of tiny faceted carnelian rondelles with an amazing AB finish on them and a full strand of tiny carnelian coins in a soft salmon color both from Beads Direct
...a full strand of tiny teal nugget pearls and a mixed strand of larger nugget pearls from TA Pearl
...an assortment of Humblebeads disks and a pretty little leaf shape in a rich teal green
...one of my very first enameled beads in emerald green from the Barbara Lewis Painting With Fire Workshop 
...a rectangle button from Lisa Peters Art in earthy browns and soothing greens
...two little smoky quartz faceted cubes from Beads Direct
...a blue bullseye lentil ceramic bead from Jangles
...a polymer clay lentil bead from Pam Wynn
...a word plaque ceramic pendant from Earthenwood Studio
...two exquisitely hand painted acrylic leaves from Heather French of Vintage Meadow Artworks

I really have no idea as to the value, and I am not going to try, but I hope that the winner will like the slightly coordinated collection I have curated here and is inspired to make some beautiful things to show us all. Enough ado...the winner of the Bead & Button show loot is............

Emma of A Polymer Penchant

who said this....

Wow, what a stunning haul! Someday I'll get there in person, then I bet I'd be so overwhelmed I'd probably only come home with 3 beads or something because I'd be afraid of spending myself out of house and home. I'm glad you shopped for me (thinking positive thoughts over here!)

Why, yes! Yes, I did go shopping for you! And no, you won't leave the Bead & Button show with just three beads, but yes, you will be overwhelmed when you go! Miss Emma, please email me your mailing information and I will send this out to you!


I hope that all the commenters who said they were saving up to make the pilgrimage next year are not just making idle chit-chat. I plan to take you up on that! ;-)

And I leave you with the words of wisdom that I received in my inbox today...

 

You all give me more than you will ever know.