Magnolia bud

Magnolia bud
Originally uploaded by amandammmq.

Spring has sproinged.

Lawrence Mills, walk on 4/23

Lawrence Mills, walk on 4/23
Originally uploaded by amandammmq.

I went for a walk yesterday, and took along my camera. Here's a shot from one of the bridges along the river. A few days ago, this building got flooded again, just like last year.

Caravan Beads Haul 4-20-07
Originally uploaded by amandammmq.

Here's the second set of beads, this time from Caravan Beads in Portland, ME. It's a slightly less impressive pile 'o' beads, but lovely nonetheless. If you click on either pic, it ought to bring you to Flickr, where you can mouse over the pic to get more details. I have just opened a flickr account, which is super fun. It appears that the pic is not coming out the size that I want it to, but click on it and you can see it bigger.

One thing I have to say about Caravan beads is that I drive past it at least once every single time I go there. This time, I drove by it twice, because they were doing construction! I was almost freaked out that they were gone or closed, but they weren't. Their big specialty is Miyuki delicas and seed beads. They might very well have every color. Really. We're talkin' Delicas in 11, 10 (yes, the new size), and 8. Drops. Magatamas. Triangles. Bugles. Hex beads. Squares. Seeds in 15, 11, 8, 6, and E. So if that floats your boat, Caravan is the place for you.

After I got home with my beads, it took me over a day to be brave enough to pull them out of the bag. I had spent a lot of money, and was scared that maybe I had bought stuff I didn't really want or need... but ohhhhhh, I did a good job... maybe I should have gotten even more, really! :)

Beadin Path Haul 4-20-07
Originally uploaded by amandammmq.

As promised, I am now sharing the pics of the beads that I bought on my quickie trip up to Maine the other day. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, but not too hot, and I managed to radio station surf to good channels the whole way up and back.
My first stop was to the Beadin' Path in Freeport, which is just a wonderful place. It is a large store, with a very wide variety of beads - vintage and contemporary lucite, vintage German and Czech glass, vintage and contemporary Swarovski crystals, pearls, a rainbow of seed beads... well, you get the point. The customer service is also great, and I was happy as a clam with what I found. I didn't even drive through the middle of town - I was a woman on a mission!

Silver Bracelet

A bracelet for Cece. Although it's not quite what she asked for, I honestly think she'll like it even better. (crosses fingers)

Today is the second to last day of my April school vacation week. It rained almost the entire time, and the river in town flooded again, although not quite as bad as it did last year.

Yesterday, I went on a road trip to a couple of bead stores up in Maine and managed to bring home quite a wonderful haul. I'll flash some pics later on if I get a chance!

I am less verbose than usual... I did not sleep well and have really been awake until 4 AM. Around 6 AM, I finally gave up on sleep and got up to do laundry. I smell a nap in my future.

SPT

Talking on the phone with Kathy.

Self Portrait Thursday

Someone, somewhere in blogland decided that this would be a good idea. No clue whether or not I'll be able to keep up, but it's worth a try. Here is today's offering. So thoughtful. So sophisticated. So silly.

My super secret knitting is probably under a week away from being completed. I am thrilled. And you will be, too. Cuz then you'll be able to see it.

I had a brief scare today regarding my new studio. I received an email stating that indeed, the finish date looks like it will be June 1, which is great. However, the email also announced that two people had decided against renting spaces, and a floor plan was included in case anyone wanted to swap to the newly available spaces. In this floor plan, MY studio was gone. GONE! It was merged with the one next to it. I sent a calm email (I was nervous on the inside, though) and was told a few nerve wracking hours later that it was a mistake, and that cute little studio # 18 was indeed going to exist. Whew. Heart attack avoided.

Score!

So, to get better pics of my jewelry and stuff, I borrowed a tripod from my neighbor several weeks ago. However, I didn't want to keep being such a mooch, so I was going to buy myself a new tripod. But when I came home today, guess what was sitting in the lobby, also known as the 'free stuff I don't want' area? Yep. Not one tripod, but two! I took a good look at both of them, and picked the one that looked like it would work for my camera. Yay- it DOES work, and it is really nice! It's all modern and awesome and easy to use. It even has levels on it... not that I'll ever need those.
Free is a price I can really get behind. Huzzah!

Sigh.

Well, I have not updated my blog in a ridiculously long time. That is because I am still focusing on the secret knitting, and because my life otherwise is exceedingly dull.
I did go to my brother's wedding, and it was a very nice affair. There was much drama for me on the way out there, as the second leg of my flight was completely cancelled. To sum up, there was crying, more crying, followed by crying. Finally, I got a flight to San Jose instead of Monterey, drove down there, and fell into bed at 3:30 AM, only to get up at 8 AM. It was a whirlwind of a weekend.
The rehearsal dinner was delicious, and featured a hysterical slide show of pics from both my brother's and his wife's lifespans... extremely good stuff. I had been asked to give a speech during the rehearsal dinner... or so I had understood... but it was ACTUALLY during the wedding, but it went fine. People laughed where they were supposed to, and I managed not to swear or say anything embarrassing. Go, me!
We are having an extended winter around here... it snowed a few days ago, and the snow has not had a chance to melt. I also hear that we're possibly in for a couple more snowfalls within the next few days. Bleh.
That's really it for now. I'm guessing that within the next two weeks, I will have finished the secret knitting, given it to the recipient, and will be able to share it here, as well as move on to new and different projects.