I am home! It was raining when I left for Tucson, raining when I left Tucson and raining when I landed in Seattle. It hardly seems as if anything has changed! I promise pictures later, show news and much more but for now I need to let my Tucson cold put me back to sleep. ZZZzzzzzzzz

Here I am in beautiful sunny Tucson selling myself ( LOL ) and my wares at The Whole Bead Show. I am happy to be here and even happier to see old friends and customers. People say the nicest things about my work and it makes me feel like a zillion dollars! Well, duty calls or rather Phil does so I must run for now! Thinking of all of you, xo, Lois

New Pieces for Tucson

When I decided to create new designs for Tucson this year, I took comfort in familiar images and designed around things that made me feel happy and at peace. In these troubling times, a comfortable image is like a good friend, always there beckoning me to its' center. This once again is a house image with a shallow frame so that resin or glass could be added over an image. The back is decorated with spirals, hearts, radiating lines and dots. I haven't photographed them on the prettiest surface but I like them none the less. I sure hope Tucson is fun, sunny, welcoming and prosperous. I can hardly wait to see old friends, family ( Barb & Bob ) and meet new people!





A heart shaped resin frame in white bronze that I have strung with an assortment of my chain, beaded links and this fabulous silk that I will be selling in Tucson, from Vietnam. I have been admiring all the jewelry work done with fiber lately so I decided to try my hand at it when this ribbon turned up. How fun! It made me think outside my usual comfort zone.





This is one of my new center pieces from my house series. I do not know what it is with me and house images but they show up a lot in all my work. This piece I am calling the house dangler. It is two sided and cast in white bronze.

So Many Days

The days are filled with activity as I create the last samples of jewelry for Tucson and begin to pack the final two boxes for shipping. In between all the show activity, work needs to be done for the shop, too. I am making things, thinking things, packing things, breathing things and in the process reminding myself to breathe and not get stressed out. Stress does very weird things to my body and makes my mind ache and gives me strange dreams. I also have this sadness every time I get ready to leave home. What is the source of this sadness? I like to travel and see new places. I like meeting old friends and making new friends, I enjoy new experiences. I take plenty of knitting, reading and drawing with me to create a home wherever I am. It is a mystery, one I am afraid to dig into too deeply.

So Many Days

Isaac's Drawing

This drawing is from Isaac, our grandchild who lives in Utah. I love the orange color and think that it is a wonderful artwork. Keep up the good work and send more, Isaac! " To Grandpa Phill - it's a Tiger Horse! "

Today was one of those days where everything I wanted to do or make would just not work. My efforts just turned into a mess. When my head is spinning like this, filled with crashing and disappointing projects; it just feels better to go back to my roots. Bead stringing in this case. I used a collection of purple beads including luscious recycled plastic beads and my sterling silver Life toggle and created a wearable art piece. It relaxed me, allowed my mind to ramble and settle its thoughts on new techniques and other things for my shop. Returning to familiar, welcoming territory is often the best inspiration.