Life Happens and Sometimes it's Messy, Messy, Messy

I'm in full panic mode tonight.  There's been a series of "life happens" events that have kept me hopping for the last couple of months. Up until today I had been feeling pretty good about my 'soup' so far.   I absolutely loved the process of deciding upon and making my partner Regina's soup.
I learned so, so much from that side of the exercise and had lots of fun in the process.  I was pleasantly surprised at the lessons and the process surrounding this side of the soup mixing.

Then my soup arrived and I was loving it and ideas were bouncing all over the place!  I seem to have a set of stages I go through before I actually sit down to create something.  Phase 1 is when I go through my ruminating stage where I just let ideas flow in and out as they will.  I don't try and direct it. I probably couldn't if I tried.  I just let it take it's course.  I told my husband it's like having Creative A.D.D.   Most people would probably call it brainstorming but because I don't actively try and direct it I call it A.D.D.    There's no real telling how long this stage will actually last.  It can range from a few hours to a few days, sometimes more.  I'll even dream about the possibilities.  Did I mention I might be a tad OCD?  Sometimes I have to rein it in and just sit and pick one to start.  I was finding this project challenging because I don't do much stringing and for some reason I got locked on the idea that was what I needed to do. So I sat down and concentrated on giving  my ideas a little more focus
I knew time was creeping by and didn't want to get caught at the last moment so I settled on a few design ideas and put a couple of them together to see how well they'd work without actually constructing them because of other pressing things that needed my attention.  The day before I left to go visit my Mom for her 89th birthday I had narrowed my ideas down to a couple of designs and got them ready to assemble when I got back.  I was still feeling fairly confident and enjoying the process thoroughly even though I knew I'd be gone 10 days.  The plan was to get down to brass tacks and put it all together once I got back.  The designs were fairly well set and all that was left was the mechanics. I was excited and looking forward to it. I got home today,  BUT...  this is what I came home to.

This is the main door to my Jewelry Room, all sealed shut to try and minimize the dust that's going to soon permeate what will feel like every corner of the house.

Door 2: A different kind of barrier but almost as effective.

We've been waiting for a while now to have this work done and unfortunately the contractor called at the last minute and wanted to start work the next day.  So Claude made an executive decision and piled everything from the first room where the work is starting into the jewelry room.  There weren't a lot of other choices.   Once the first room is done then we'll have to move everything from the jewelry room into the first room so they can finish my room too.  Phew, I get tired just thinking about it.

A curio cabinet, full length mirror, tall dresser, bookcase, and 3 wardrobes along with the normal     
                                               workroom furniture make it a tad cluttered.

Yes, my soup is buried in there somewhere.

                     
That's what has me worried.  I'm hoping things will look better in the light of a new day and that I'll find everything I need to get cooking tomorrow morning and find a way to carve out a small workspace somewhere. Wish me luck!



Oh.  One more, before I head to slumber land.  This is the progress on the other room.

Not one little bit of insulation in that wall!  No wonder heating is costing a small fortune.

Sweet dreams all.  Wish me luck for the morning.

Beady Friends and Their Lessons

Yesterday my friend Nathalie came over for a visit.  It's always great to see her and we always have a good time, especially if we end up in the jewelry room.  We teach each other things or just explore or snoop through my stash for inspiration.  However yesterday was special because I hadn't seen her since December and she came bearing a gift, a beady gift! A gift packed with meaning and love.

Let me give you some background before I show it off. It was nearing the end of summer when I casually asked Nathalie if she knew how or could figure out how to do a Cellini Spiral bracelet for me. Nathalie's fairly new to this art form and if I'd known the task was going to be that challenging I would never have asked.  But asked I did and she tried, and it didn't work for her.  She started and pulled it apart multiple times. She'd put it away for awhile when it got too testy.  Then a move and a new job took over for awhile, but still, the Cellini was never far from her mind and she'd take it back out and try and figure it out.  We scoured the net for a better tutorial and she asked some of "the masters" for help and it just didn't want to work for her. I felt terrible for asking her.  I offered to buy her a tutorial in hopes it would present it in a different way that would click. I offered a class at our local beady hangout but she was determined to figure it out on her own.
Well one night a few short weeks ago she had her Eureka moment and I received a middle of the night message.  Four little words, that was all  "I beat the beast!!!" 
It only took 7 months, a big move, a career change, lots of life surprises sprinkled in for good measure and tons of tenacity to get the job done.  Now, she says it's easy and has already started a matching necklace. She is a force to be reckoned with, my friend Nat. She approaches life in the very same way.  I have a lot to learn from her and it has nothing to do with beads.
Thank you Nathalie for the beautiful gift of friendship and all the hard work and love you put in that beautiful green beast. I'll treasure it always.

Try as I might I can't do this beautiful bracelet justice. 
My current camera and setup just can't pick up the details and glitter of this baby

Click picture  to zoom