long time coming

 Checking in on my blog, I see I have not posted anything since this past late July. It was a busy summer and anytime I was not in the shop; I was in the studio checking in inventory and making jewelry. I spent my little " down time " knitting a bit and battling what blessedly turned out not to be a major health problem. Gratitude is my attitude always! 

Anyhow I wanted to pop in this early Sunday morning to post a couple of pictures of two of my new favorite things. Of course, everything is my favorite thing bead wise but these are standouts.

This is yellow-green Angelite, a gemstone of soft extraordinary color. I feel peaceful and protected with a divine love when I wear it. $ 12.95

These are chakra gemstone bead strands. A mix of stones representing the seven chakras. This color arrangement is so lovely; I am keeping some for myself. I am my own best customer! Tee hee! 

We are open this fall everyday but Tuesday. Shorter days on Wednesdays and Sundays, 12 -4. Hope to see you soon so we can continue our bead life in conversation, technique and friendship. Sincerely, I love you all! Happy November!

 

a tease

 Greetings to almost mid summer! Just wanted to post a quick shop update and let you know our current hours.

First the tease....

I have received a collection of uranium glass beads in!

From the Czech Republic, these beads have a teeny inclusion of uranium, all safe to wear and use,

in each bead and when hit with a black light; they have a wonderful mysterious glow about them.

A secret maybe only you know. A daring touch of radiant green glow light.

More are in stock too, all safely nestled on my work table in the studio.

Summer Hours

Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11-5

Sunday & Wednesday 12-4

As always, give the shop a call at 3603856131 and make an appointment see our warehouse or the classroom of treasures upstairs.

Until then, happy Summering ! xo, Lois

Luddite

Happy almost the end of May! As the title suggests, I am a bit of a luddite and I wish I could just pop open my blog or my currently broken website and get to work. Maybe one of these days everything will be voice activated and the machine can figure out what you are asking and needing. I know in my heart that that day is coming soon and sometimes I just want to resist and keep things simple. Like paper and pen simple. Maybe an adding machine and a cordless phone, simple. It is easier to order on line but more real like the good old days which do not sound bad at all to me. ( except I do like the medical advances we have in our lives now ) 

Anyhow, my blog, of which I should write more often, is kind of like being in a small town. I like thinking I am talking with you face to face, meeting in my shop, asking about your family or friends, checking out the craft you are working on or giving the one on one brief help to overcome a stuck area on your project, to offer encouragement. I love my shops. We are 34 years old now and I hope to be doing this same thing in the same location for a bunch more years. If the good Lord is willing and the waters don't rise, to

                                                                                 One of my favorite things to make, rosaries.
drowning out literally Water Street.

Anyhow, I am posting a few pictures for inspiration now and will add more one of these days. Until then, know that I appreciate every single one of you and that my relationship with you as clerk and customer and friend to friend means everything to me! 

An orthodox sterling cross cast by me.

A new mixture of brass beads and titanium infused hematite beads.

older

 In 50 minutes, I will be a year older, supposedly wiser and certainly a more experienced woman. It is my birthday and as we move forward into this new year and the beginning of another trip around the sun; my mind wanders to the future. Like many of you, I am worried and hopeful.

Pessimistic and optimistic about the coming years all at once. Trusting the universe, I will move forward with the joy I feel in creating my artwork and my jewelry. You will find me most days in the shop except Tuesdays where we are closed for our weekly " gotta live a regular life and do ordinary things like make grocery lists, do housework, attend to appointments happen., etc." 

Find what I am up to by checking into my Facebook and Instagram pages. My website is under construction after 30 years and I hope to have it back up and running soon. It is unbelievable to me how fast time is moving. Maybe it is part of being older and knowing that there are more days behind me than ahead of me. Maybe it is just enjoying the sweetness of time and allowing myself to just be. Maybe it is feeling myself bloom and want to move in a thousand directions and into more creative time. Maybe it is just wanting to love my family and friends and customers and life. 

We are all strong and wonderful and creative and leaning into these challenging times with love, courage and friendship. I look forward to connecting with you and seeing you in the shop. xo

Website

 It is kaput. My website is down. I can not figure out how to fix it and my web guy that has been with me for decades has decided to retire and that is that. Anyhow, I met a nice guy last week that can do a website for me and now I need to decide how much of a site I want. I am thinking of scaling down all that on line ordering and shopping carts and .... and....

Maybe just a meet and greet page where you get the basics of my shop for now. You know, hours of operation, days open, forms of payment taken and so on. Maybe after the first of the year I can do a bigger site. I am asking myself how much time I want to devote to all the on line things. I love FB and Instagram and like keeping things posted there. Of course, you can always contact me on these sites and ask me to mail you anything you find interesting. You can email me or call the shop. If you leave a voice mail, I will call you back. You can even email me a technical how to question or several.

What I like best about my shops is being with people. Talking, sharing, laughing. Being out and about, not in front of a computer screen. I like encouraging your creativity face to face. I get inspiration from you and I hope you get the same form me. It saddens me to think of how isolated we have become especially since the pandemic shutdown in 2020.  I like being asked questions. I like that I have known some of my customers since they were little kids. I like that your families have grown up with my shop. When you come in and say, " I am so happy you are still here..." my heart grows bigger. My soul soars. 

Until I figure this all out without a huge amount of stress, I hope you will continue to visit me on FB and Instagram and best of all, in person. I like knowing you. 

As we move forward on life's creative journey; I want you to know that with the deepest gratitude, I am glad you have been here with me, in the shop, on our joint journeys through life and craft. 

September

 In just a few days, on the 22nd to be exact, fall arrives! My favorite time of the year. The days are a little cooler, crisper and here in the northwest, we begin to see the return of our gray days and light rains. I love the rain and find it a great time to nestle into the studio when I am not at the shop, and create. jewelry, silver work, knitting, painting, needlepoint, and whatever else my monkey mind can think of. 

I plan on adding some pictures later but this crazy day has run away with me and I am finding I am on the phone entirely too much! Talk to you soon, Lois

Days have swept by me...

 Hello, It's me! I've been wondering if after all these months....haha, I did not realize so much time has passed since I last wrote. These have been busy days as I work in the studio on my days off, which are far too few, and work the shop the rest of the time. Days can be hot with the full sun shining and with the beach just across the street from me, I am raring to go outdoors at the drop of a bead!

Anyhow, a large box of Czech glass fire polished beads has just arrived from overseas and we will be working on getting pieces out as soon as humanly possible. Fire polish means faceted so I am looking forward to lots of color and light to move forward in these remaining weeks of summer. 

I am heading out to the studio at this very minute to begin making sea glass earrings and pricing more new inventory. a video may be coming up soon on FB showing the chaos in the studio with new inventory hovering about. Did I mention baskets? We just received a bunch in there too! For now I will sign off and get to it. Enjoy the summer days as they drift slowly into the last days of August! 

                                                      The little altar behind my shop counter.

                                                             Reminding on even the busiest of days to keep the faith.

                                                             

                                                  Then, there is this! HAHA!Love you all!