Lazy Saturday

It's a gorgeous weekend here. But I feel a cold coming on....it's been trying to get me all week, but today is the first time that I really feel pretty crummy. So I am taking it easy today.

I did give Finn a bath (got a cute picture that I might post later), and have been doing some laundry.


I'm just playing on the internet and reading a really good book called "A Sense of the World: How A Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler." A very interesting biography about a young British Man in the 1800's with a love for travel. He became blind and still continued to trek around the world....more details to follow, as I'm just getting into it. But if you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend it.


Since I rarely watch tv or listen to radio, I tend to get lost in my own little world sometimes. But I have heard all of this talk about Paul Potts, who won Britain's Got Talent. I was just reading on another blog, where someone posted a link to this utube video, and I was absolutely blown away. I am a big fan of classical music; I grew up in a household where there was always some form of classical music playing. So I used to detest it (as most teenagers do!). But the older I get, the more I find comfort and peace in classical music. It is so moving and emotional, and I get so shocked when sometimes I'm listening to a piece of music, and all of the sudden I'll be in tears. (Like I was while watching this video). That is, to me, the beauty of music. There is something so innate inside of me that draws me to rhythm, sound, and melody. This Paul Potts is amazing. If you have a second, please listen, and I bet you you'll be glad you did. As for me, I'm going to buy the cd today!


And one last little tidbit for the day. If you like candy, go here:

The name says it all. Don't even know how I stumbled upon this one, but it's mmm mmm good! He does have a candy-giveaway going on; there are 400+ people already entered, so chances of winning are slim, but anything can happen!
Happy Saturday-
Carter

Yummy colors for Fall

Where do my color combinations come from? Usually I don't have to go searching for color inspiration. But sometimes I like to look at the color trends of the season ahead, to see what colors are in the fashion market. There's a company called Pantone that sets the color trends years in advance, and they put out a booklet every season talking about the colors to look for and pair together. Here's their outlook for Fall 2007:

And their summary of what color trends are popular this season:
"Complex and exotic describe the intriguingly unusual and inviting color palette for fall ’07. The traditional neutral shades expected for autumn have been replaced this season with rich, nuanced hues, offering more opportunity for creativity with interesting and unexpected color combinations."
More opportunity for creativity, huh? And unexpected color combinations? I like the sound of that. The deep plum-color reminds me of biting into ripe fruit. And the mustard-yellow next to olive green is so vibrant. And there's something about that pepper-red next to the orange that I love.....I've just printed this out and will have it next to the torch as I make beads over the next few weeks. I'll be sure to share what creations are inspired by these color suggestions.
Have a good one-
Carter

Necklace giveaway!

Aayyy....I completely forgot to mention on here that I am giving away a necklace!
Everybody who purchases from my website through the end of the month will be entered in a drawing to win this necklace:

It's a Black and White version of my best-seller, Kaleidoscope. So if you've been thinking about making a purchase and holding back, now's the time! So far there are 12 of you in the running, so the odds are good. I'll announce the winner here on Monday, October 1.

Thanks to all of you who made purchases in the sale. My load is much lighter, and I have been making new designs. I always seem to create better when the jewelry box is empty. Maybe it's my natural tendency to have lots of stuff around me....beads, predominantly!

I'm looking forward to a nice Fall weekend. We're going with some friends tonight to try a new restaurant in Alameda, called Dragon Rouge, that serves Vietnamese Fusion food. I'm looking forward to it.
And Saturday night we have dinner plans with my cousin who has just moved to San Francisco. So it should be a fun weekend.
I have some designs in my head in PMC that I might work on, and a few clothing ideas running around up there as well. This Fall weather is inspiring.

And speaking of inspiration, I was watching the Today show this morning (while exercising, of course...you know I don't just sit and watch tv), and they showed a clip from the All Candy Expo, which is taking place this week in Chicago. Ooohhh, if I could get my sugar-loving hands in there! It looked amazing! Of course, it's only open to the trade (hence the title "Tradeshow").....maybe in a next life! Here's a little snapshot from their website:

And on that note, I'm off to get some coffee (make that a Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte). Just finished my soup for lunch, now I need to satisfy my sweet tooth!
A good weekend to all of you-
Carter

A sale!

Several of you have asked, and I'm answering! I'm cleaning out the Divali Treasure Chest and putting together a Fall Sale! I'm planning on working into the night to get the sale together, and I should warn you that there will be LOTS of goodies up for grabs this time around. Somehow there are lots of necklaces in my box; I guess I haven't been doing that many shows, but I've been making jewelry. I get sick of filling wholesale orders and make new designs from time to time, and when I don't have shows, I don't sell them as quickly. So you, my lucky ones, win! Stay tuned tomorrow....I aim to have the sale open by noon, and some new Fall necklaces for you to choose from as well.
Goodnight!
Carter

Rare chance to buy my beads on ebay!

Hi everybody-
Saturday evening here, and it's been a lovely day. I worked out in the yard all day, and it's amazing how many weeds there were out there! We're getting ready to head out for some Margaritas at La Pinata, which is quite possibly my favorite restaurant. Blackberry Margaritas and Mojitos......yummmmmmy!
Lastnight I was at Calypso Twist in Walnut Creek for their one year anniversary celebration. It was a lively celebration, complete with Rum Punch and a Calypso band! I set up my torch and did bead-making demos, and got to chat with lots of other artists who sell in the gallery. I enjoyed speaking with customers and sharing my work with them. It's always fun for me to get to share my talents with people, and to answer questions people have about my techniques.

So I have an oppportunity for those of you who like to make things yourself. I always have extra beads sitting around, and they tend to pile up and take over the bead box. So I've decided to give these odds and ends a chance to get a new home, by putting them up for sale on ebay. Here's a link to the auctions:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZctseibel
Happy bidding, and stay tuned....if this turns out to be a popular thing, I might do this more often.
Have a good rest of the weekend!
Carter

Back from Burning Man, back to reality!

Whew, it's been quite a month! I'm back from Burning Man, and very glad I went, but very glad to be home. It was a pretty incredible experience, and I'm not sure I can sum it up any more now than I could before I went. Some words that come to mind are: hot, dusty, amazing, colorful, free, dusty, surreal, intense, dusty, mind-boggling, eye-opening, dusty.....it was a great experience. But being on the other side of it, I can honestly say that the one thing that Burning Man did for me more than anything, was make me more thankful that I have friends and family who I love and love me, and a reality that I love. I love my life, I love what I do. I missed "my reality" out on the Playa. So now that I'm back, I am eager to wake up in the morning and do the tasks that make up my day.
That being said, here are a few pictures:

This was what Center Camp looked like. I loved all of the colored strips of fabric that they hung from the ceiling. One of my favorite things was to sit down and look up at the colors waving in the wind.
This was the temple....very awe-inspiring and moving. And a lot bigger than it seems in this picture.

In case you don't believe me about the dust.....
And this picture sums up my week.....full of awe, amazement, and shock.

So welcome me back to the "real world." I have a much greater sense of calm, and am ready to get back to my work. I have a renewed sense of discipline and peace of mind, and look forward to getting back to the torch and the tasks that await me. I think I'm going to work on some PMC this weekend too, for the first time in a while. It's my Mom's 60th birthday, and she might be getting something special (if I can get it made in time!)

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Hopefully I'll have some pics to share next week!

Ciao-

Carter