Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I Am Thankful...

...for the turn of the seasons--from the shades of Autumn to Tuesday's snow


...for my husband, and special bead trip stores (picture taken at World of Beads)


...for my best friend, and the chance to put up her Christmas tree (with help from her cat)


...for an early Thanksgiving feast this past Sunday, shared with dear friends (laughter and food and egg nog--wonderful!)


...for times spent with fellow writers


...for finally finding emerald-colored beads for a custom order


...for silly happy geeky crafts, in this case making earrings that resemble the 10th Doctor's sonic screwdriver (from Doctor Who)


...for stories that spread our imaginations and remind us to keep exploring


...for playing with Christmas beads


...and for having light, even when the electricity goes out.


...My heart is full to overflowing--I am so unspeakably, so unimaginably, so unequivocally blessed!

Wishing everyone in the United States a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow... and, for those not in the U.S., may the rest of your week also be filled with love and light and happy things! :)

Monday, November 25, 2013

Book Challenge - Deadline Extended!

If you have come here looking for my entry in the Book Challenge--Yay! I'm so glad you're here!

However, as you can probably guess by the title of this post, the Book Challenge has been extended... The new reveal will be on December 13th.

So, to tide you over until then... 

Ta-da! My book! So full of possibility!
Handmade by C Koop Beads.

And now, for the hard part--at least for me: waiting until then to show you the cool thing that I made! Who knows, I might even poke it a bit between now and then. :)

So, please come on by on December 13th! I'm so excited!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Dreary Days Don't Have to Be Bad Days...

Today is a very, very dreary day.

It's cold and rainy, with a cloudy sky and bare skeleton trees. All of the leaves have been shed now, and the days are beginning to turn from brilliant Autumn hues to the very beginning grey of Ohio winter.

But, still, it's not all bad.


...It just means that I get to play with Christmas beads!

These particular lovelies are from one of my favorite artists ever, Juls of JulsbeadsI've already made some cool earrings, now I just need to figure out a necklace design that does them justice. And, when the light gets a bit better, I hope to take pictures!

So, yes... It's a grey day, but it's still a good day. And even though my favorite part of the year is starting to draw to a close (it's going to be a grey Thanksgiving), there is still much festivity to come.

And so, I hope everyone is having a lovely Friday--and, if it's dreary where you are, that something happy takes you by surprise!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Another Random Craft

So, I've been attempting to clean my craft room. After all, it really, really needs it. 

But, then, things like this happen:

Puzzle Piece Earrings

You see, I was going along, minding my own business, and I found a puzzle that was missing some pieces. Simple enough--throw it out.

But then, something in my brain snapped.  

A few punches with my favorite hole punch and some coats of clear finish later, I had puzzle piece earrings!

...And this is why it's hard for me to get any actual straightening done in the craft room. 

Crafts--they sneak up on you!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Update: NaNo Word Total

Day 19 of National Novel Writing Month!

My Current Total:
50,091 words

Which means that, technically, I'm done! Woo-hoo!

…Of course, I'll probably keep writing more--because I tend to overachieve that way--but it's so exciting! And I thought I'd share. Yay!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Time for a Treasury!

Because treasuries are fun! ...And because I'm really out of it, and not focusing enough to write a longer entry. Ah well, it happens. 

So, can you find the anafiassa item?


The treasury itself can be found here

And the featured item can be found here!

And now back I go, attempting to be productive. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Update: NaNo Word Total

It's Day 14 of National Novel Writing Month! 

My Current Total:
40,208 words

See, see? I'm not just making it up. :)

I only have to write 544 words per day to finish on time... That's a good feeling. Of course, I'll probably continuing plowing forward at this accelerated pace--but it's still a good feeling. 

And will I stop at 50,000? 

Knowing me, probably not. I really really really want to finish this section, so I'll probably go until it's done. Because, at that point, I'll have a mostly-finished sloppy first draft of Book 1 that will be ready to undergo Massive Edits. But, at least it will be written... and I'm excited at that prospect.

Anyway! Thank you for joining me on this adventure... I really appreciate having a place to share my progress! Have a great day, everyone! :)

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Custom Order - Book Charms!

This is just a happy little entry to show off something I've been working on recently: 
custom book charms!

(Which, as a side note, is a great deal of fun, because I was working on these before the Book Challenge was even announced--apparently, between these and NaNo, it's just a bookish November!)

The finished custom order: three book charm necklaces.

So, here's just a little bit of background…

I have made necklaces like this one before, using pre-made book charms… And in fact, that Little Red Riding Hood necklace shown above was made with one such charm.

But, the customer also wanted a specific book that I didn't have--namely, the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. 

(Which, incidentally, is a great book… I'm trying to think of a way to describe it, but failing. The Amazon page for it is here… Basically, it involves Jane Eyre, and is set in the future, where time travel is an accepted reality, and literature is taken very, very seriously. It also has a very satisfying ending.)



Of course, this was the first time I've actually tried making book charms, so it took a lot of trial and error (mostly error). My first ideas on how to do it fell rather flat, but thankfully Plan B went quite well.

Also thankfully, the customer was extremely gracious and patient, and let me take my time to get them just right. And, what can I say… I'm pretty happy with how they turned out!



Now, one of these days, I look forward to making more little books like these--except of books that I have written. (Although, I suppose The Adventures in the Landus Fantasticus: Book 1 might be a little bit difficult to fit on something so small.)

…In any case, it is certainly a happy goal to work towards! :)

And, in the meantime, thank you for letting me share this project that I've been working on… It's always so satisfying to finish something like this. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is having a lovely day!

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Update: NaNo Word Total

It's Day 9 of National Novel Writing Month! 

And, now, to answer the burning question: what is my total?

My Current Total:
31,085 words

Went to a write-in at my favorite used bookstore earlier this week…
Complete with good conversation, Teavana tea,
and--of course--writing.

Woo-hoo!

I still have more time tonight to write (after I get some other things done, too), so we'll see how that goes… Yay! 

Have a good night everyone!

Friday, November 8, 2013

This is for Those Steampunk-Lovers Amongst You...

So! Here is something exciting for your morning, if you happen to like Steampunk...

Well, besides gears...

Yesterday, I was contacted to let me know that my Inventor's Workshop necklace would be being featured on a blog this morning. 

What blog?


It's an Etsy Finds blog dedicated to finding steampunky things.... And, if you like such things, it's really really cool. She posts daily--treasuries or cosplay pictures or kickstarters or whatever else she thinks fits the aesthetic. In fact, there's so much neat stuff on there that I'm honored that she chose to highlight my necklace! (Well, that, and I've loved her work for quite some time--she has a really cool Etsy store where she sells lovely tatting.)



And here's the necklace!

So, having my necklace on that treasury has certainly made my day. I'm so inspired, that I want to go create more lovely things! (Well, after I finish everything I'm supposed to do this morning. Unfortunately, the world does not stop while doing NaNo. Ah well. *smirk*)

Thanks so much for letting me share... I hope everyone is enjoying this Friday!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Bead Ruckus - Kit 7!

The next Bead Ruckus kit has been announced!

(Well, technically, it was announced earlier this month, but I've been a bit preoccupied with writingwritingwriting*, and have been slacking about sharing it. Sorry!)

You've waited long enough, so, without further ado, I present:


Bead Ruckus - Kit Number 7

Ta-da!

Blue and gold and white and silver... Quite the eclectic mix, don't you think? This should be fun!

Oh! And a brief note... Since the holiday season is coming up, the Big Reavel for Kit No. 7 is going to be extended for a month. So, stop by on January 25th to see what I've made! And, if you're interested in trying this kit out for yourself, go here to check out how! :) 

---

* - I'm currently at 22,444 words! For those of you who wanted to know. ;)

Edit at 5:55 p.m.
...And after today's writing session, I'm at 26,160 words. Woo-hoo!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Update: NaNo Word Total

As promised, this is just me checking in with my current total for National Novel Writing Month!

My Current Total: 
15,007 words

...My total from Day 1.

...I haven't actually done any of my words yet today, so that means I've written 5,000 words each day for the past three days.

Bwahahahaha!

We'll see how much I get done today! :)

Saturday, November 2, 2013

New Blogging Challenge!

...And, appropriately for November, the theme is books! :)


The talented Lorelei Eurto (her blog is here) and Sara Lukkonen (of C Koop Beads) have teamed up to create a very cool challenge... A challenge involving these awesome little books that Sara has recently developed:


Photo Courtesy of Lorelei Eurto...
I take no credit for its loveliness!

There are 12 books, and therefore 12 participants for this challenge--and I was picked to be one of them! Woo-hoo!

There are a few rules to follow--fun rules! Involving stories! To read more about said rules, check out Lorelei's blog entry, found here!

...And be sure to stop by after November 25 to see what I've made!


Friday, November 1, 2013

Hello, November!

Despite being sick for part of it (bleh), I think that October was still a very good month.

...And now it's November! 

Ah, yes, the much anticipated writing-month. I have so, so much that I want to accomplish this month... I guess we'll see what all I get done! :)

---

Things that Make Me Happy: 
Autumn Edition


1. Autumn Leaves!

Going on a morning walk.

...And more Autumn Leaves...





2. Autumn-themed hairsticks!

Sensing a theme here?
I wonder what my inspiration was to make these... ;)

3. Adventures with my husband.

Random food outing...

...heading towards the city skyline...

...And a trip to the Renaissance Festival!
I wasn't able to get a picture of us together, so this will have to do.
Point of reference: the swords are both the same size.

4. Hot and cozy beverages--tea or coffee or apple cider.

Steeping tea.


5. ...And, of course: writing!

The promise of the blank page...
The promise of a new month.

I realize that I talk quite a bit about Autumn here on my blog, but I don't apologize one bit! It's just so lovely and happy. :)

And so, thanks for stopping by and looking at my happy list... I hope that your November is simply wonderful!