I am down in this computer room in the hotel amongst a small wedding happening down the hall and military boys loitering about with girlfriends here and there. Funny, I remember doing this many eons ago when I was much younger but THAT is a story for another time. The show today was great and I picked up a " rock " made by this fellow vendor out of felted wool. I immediately started to embellish it with beads and more between customers. A photograph will follow when I get home and can use my own computer which is a Mac and not this silly Dell although the key board makes me feel like I am typing on a typewriter from the 1960's. The keys even feel like the old typewriters under my fingertips and the only real difference is that I can automatically erase mistakes! Hmmm.....

It snowed! It was really snowing last night in PT and we did not see any snow happening here in Tacoma until this morning we when we woke up at 5:30 am!! Way too early if you ask me. We were a bit worried about getting to the show today if the roads were icy but everything was fine. I almost forgot that this place is the big city and there would be enough traffic and de-icer on the roads to clear them! Wow! Customers were terrific today, all excited about the projects they are or will be working on and they were delighted with our selection of beads! It is so fun to be at a show when customers are like friends and enjoying themselves!

I am in Tacoma after spending the last four hours setting up my booth at the Sew Expo show. We had to unload the car in oouring rain and on the way here we went through a major sleet/rain/hail/snow shower. It was very difficult to see the road! Now, Andrea calls and says that it is snowing in Port Townsend! Argh ... I am jealous! Don't get me wrong though ... I do NOT want it to snow or ice here as I need to leave the hotel by 7am to get to the show. It opens to the public at 8:30 am! Sheesh ... these people who sew are early risers. Wish me luck, that it is busy and that we have fun and that I do not spend too much!

I had to go into the shop tonight on this dreary cold, drizzly night to pick out more merchandise to take to my show this weekend. It is always a challenge to figure out what I should take. Will this sell? Do they want that? Anyhow, after spending over an hour doing all this; on the way home on the bluffs along Water Street, I thought I saw a white plastic bag fly up into a small tree perched precariously midway down the bluff. But when I looked into that tree; it was a white owl! How amazing was that? I was and still remain very excited. It must be a good omen! Wish I had a photo to share but I am so pleased I saw it!

Right now it is just pouring outside and it is getting late so off to bed with me and a lovely new people magazine! G'night!

Saw this on another blog and I really like it!

This is a test to see if my thoughts get to the Diva blog.

Okay, I am a sucker for cute cat pictures and I make no apologies. These are pictures of a kitten, now a cat that is simply too big for the basket he dumped off the shelf in my studio. It was full of gallon ziplocks and other bags. After Milagro decided he really wouldn't fit into the basket; he proceeded to drag ziplock bags all over the studio. Tomorrow we shall return to Tucson!

Tucson Friends!

Here are pictures of Steve, Diane and their neice Carmen from Tucson. I really enjoy their company and this year even Phil was able to have dinner with us at Steve's house and the evening was so much fun, we did not want it to end. This is also Diane and Carmen shopping at my table. Carmen is quite the artist and next year I am going to spend extra time in Tucson so we can have a craft/art day! Off to the shop now! Lois

Yippee! I have some of my charms included in this magazine, one of my favorites, on page 11. Gee, eleven is even my favorite number. Anyhow, it has my large heart resin frame, a double link heart and my peace, love, joy, faith, play heart. I love a sideways " V ". Beautiful day here today, all sunny, warm, bright and filled with a longing for spring. Seems like I am the only one around my building that has NOT planted primroses yet! I better get on it! xo, Lois

A shot of my display in Tucson. My mega buck eight foott able. Next year I thinkit is time for a new table skirt. It needs to be more like my paintings!
It is past bedtime for me and the tv is still blabbing its' incessant drawl or should I say draw? As it draws me to it and makes me want to stop everything and sit in front of it and just empty my mind of everything and stare into it! In any event, I will soon be heading off to sleep and tonight, I want to dream of happy things and not the sad fact that I miss my mother so much my bones hurt and tears spring to my eyes. A friend says it is because I miss her wisdom and I am no longer anyone's child but the provider of wisdom to those around me and my children. It makes me feel as if I can not make any mistakes or do overs but must lead my own journey and those of my loved ones.

Well, enough of this melancholy pre sleepyness! I have posted another Tucson image and finish the day in gratitude; that the shop was busy and the sun was shining gloriously bright and with the chill in the air, everything seemed fresh and new!

This is a giant piece of flourite and amythest just barely polished and cleaned up for sale. It is the size of a toilet! I know that is a bit graphic but it will help you get an idea of size! It was really pretty but alas, sold before I could get to it. Would have looked just lovely in the lobby of my shop.


By the way, a customer referred to the lobby of my shop area as the " atrium " yesterday because of all the windows and the 5 minute spot of sunlight streaming in. I rather liked that name for the space! Very victorian in this, the queen of victoriana. Have a beautiful, relaxing day!

the rest of the photos....

More photos of geodes. For some mysterious reason my ancient lap top would only allow me to post no more than 3 photos at a time! Sheesh! By the way these geodes are huge and the 2nd picture was referred to as the " bathtub "!

Tucson!

Of course, with my new camera this year, I took lots of photos in Tucson of anything and everything that interested me or made me laugh. Beginning today, I am going to post pictures from the gem shows until I feel like I have shared some of the experiences.

These pictures are of amythest and citrine geodes. BIG geodes full of sparkle and time and the secrets that lie deep within the earth. Mmmm, I'd love to have one at my side right now to stare into and have it whisper to me of the time past, the beginnings of earth, the history of man, the wisdom of the ages.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ahhh, the day of romance. A sweet gift from Phil, a non fiction book of Bad Girls through history and a chocolate candy bar from Jacob. I missed my mother today and tears are always near when I think that I can not call her. All in all a great day at the shop, a nice evening dinner at home and a few hours of television watching. Nice and relaxing. Love to all, Lois

Here I Am Again!

I am home! To my wrinkled red flannel sheets, to Regina so happy to see me she was singing, to cats crawling up my legs for kisses, to Jacob who grew so much in the two weeks we have been gone; that I needed to buy him new clothes for him before I could get on the plane and to all the zillion and three chores waiting for me! I did manage to take pictures and I will post more on those later along with show info and maybe just a bit of the old bead gossip! Until later, hugs and kisses, Lois