The Final Bead & Button Piece

This is it. The final crafted piece for the Bead & Button show. Five strands of a beautiful bead assortment and one of my handcrafted and hand finished clasps. After weeks of marathon jewelry making, charm finishing, sewing banners, table skirts and drawing signs; I have to say I am done! Yippee! Although my least favorite of all chores is still waiting for me - the packing of the suitcase! I usually take too little in the way of clothing and my hotel room ends up looking like a laundry as I find myself washing out clothing by hand and hanging them all over the bathroom. I can be ready to go anywhere at the drop of a hat but figure that too little is way better than too much on a trip. I like flying light if not by the seat of my pants! HAHA!

I will post many pictures when I get back so stay tuned! xo, Lois

The Studio Door

As I get ready to say goodbye or as my BaBa used to say, so long, to my studio I leave you with a picture of my door. I love this door given to me by a woman deceased these last few years, a woman who was one of the first visitors after Jake was born, who had a lovely home here in town at North beach, who loved being a bus driver for the local transit company. I think of her every time I place my hand on the knob of the door to open or close it. I like to think she works with me in the studio and smiles when I feel accomplished. This feisty old liberated, tough, runs with the wolves kind of friend I still miss to this day.

I love the embroidered cover I use as a shade on the door. Brought back to me by a friend from India, it has little shiny mirrors in the stitches and entwined leaves, flowers and birds.

The picture on the wall is also from a friend who went quietly into that good night. An amazing man, with such an interesting life story ( he lived in China before WWII ! ) and of whom I had the privilege of owning an art gallery with. This is a poster for an art show of his featuring the incredible black and white photos he took on his journey into China. He was a fighter pilot in WWII and was caught behind enemy lines. Amazing that his life touches mine through this poster every time I am in the studio.

My hand painted gold stars are on the wall. All gold paint and rusted iron hammered on hearts. some days you just need a gold star, even if you award them to yourself.

Yes, this is all part of my studio, part of the lives of people who have touched me. It is home and when I am away, I miss it and think of working in it again, the moment I set foot in its door. And in the studio my friends silently wait for the activity upon my return and our lives, their's then and mine now, become entwined.

This Lushness of Green

A few shots of the backyard and around the studio all draped in the green that the rain has brought this spring. At this moment, we are between rain storms, the sun is out, it is about 50 and gorgeous!

The Rain is not Falling on the Bead Table!

Studio work table shots on a gray, windy, wet day in the land of Lois.


The rains have been so frequent, constant and drenching that everything is a lush, emerald jungle here! I promise to get out between the big drops and take some pics for later posting. In the meantime, I thought I would post a picture of my beading table in the studio. Just for fun, you can see where I am working most of the time. The silver part of the studio will be posted later, right now, it is CLEAN and ready for new work after B&B.

A Sleepy Kind of Sunday

When I am feeling like I want to make something but the old creative juices aren't up to 100%; I like to make " dog tags ". The base metals are silver, brass or copper with slightly folded edges. The edges allow me to pour resin over the pictures to preserve them and give them a glass like permanence. Images are little collages and of course, they can be stamped with metal stamps and then antiqued. Pretty cool. Fast, easy, fun, just the kind of craft I need on a sleepy day!


By the way, it is a gray, cold, wet day here in the Pacific Northwest with snow in the mountains. The temperature is warm enough down here though that everything and I mean everything green, is growing with wild abandon!

Friday Portrait Self

Do we really not care? I have heard newscasters and television personalities say that we, as Americans, as people, do not care about the oil leak in the gulf and the tragedy that it is. No one seems to know how to fix it. Not the president, not scientists not engineers, not it appears, even God. Have we come to this that we would allow so much to be destroyed, a destruction that will last for decades? I am sad and sick and frustrated in my impotence and angry that so many things are dying. A way of life, family run industry and jobs,marshes, wetlands, animals, fish, people. I am so, so, so angry. Aren't you?