Mary Louise Eklund

Tag: beading

Happy 2014!

Dusting TV Set with a feather-brush from the National Archif of the Netherlands as a member of the Flickr Commons No known copyright restrictions.

**Blows the dust away and gets out broom**

Why hello there! It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. Lots has happened and not so much has happened. I do have a good excuse as to why I’ve been gone.

First off Miss Mo my female kitty got worse. It was very sad. She died and we did discover that the issue was a fast developing spinal cancer. I still miss her very much. She was a very special girl.

Miss Mo at the Vet’s. She made a number of visits before the spine cancer took her.

Next Mike graduated another post-grad program in Norfolk. It was another trip there for a few days. I was very proud of him. While there we went to Colonial Williamsburg. I made lots of great picture. Yes I’ll do a very belated post about them.

Then there’s work. A few times we’ve had short staff for medical reasons, people moving, etc. At times I’ve work full time rather than part time to help out. I love what I do so I don’t mind. BUT for me it’s a side thing.

Finally my writer’s block broke. Yes I furiously wrote 41 chapters of a whole new story, 21 chapters on my Urban-fantasy with a rural setting, and about 12 on my steampunk novel. The muses were so demanding I’ve been cramming in writing where ever I could. Now my goal is to go to an event in Madison by their continuing education branch where I can do pitches to publishers and agents. Oh to get an agent! My focus will be on the whole new story and getting it prepped as that muse is the most demanding.

He’s a cadet now. He’ll be commissioned as an officer upon his graduation. This photo is from his graduation from basic earlier this year.

Aaron is doing well in college and in ROTC. He got a full scholarship in bio-chem from them. He loves having his own small apartment. No roommate problems that way. Being one who has to report to PT at 5:45 am with roommates who think 10:45 am classes are early can be difficult.

The holidays were nice. Our big present this year was a new furnace and boiler. Our 30+ year old one finally gave up the ghost. Heat is a must in Wisconsin and a new system isn’t free. So each time the radiators bang with a surge of new heat we wished each other a very Merry Christmas.

Did craft fairs again this fall and winter. They went very well. Now maybe I’ll make time to get an on-line shop up in 2014 along with a book agent and a few novels sold! Eh? why not dream big!

Mike and I took a vacation to Florida in the fall. Again we enjoyed an airboat tour. Also we managed to not go to a single amusement park. Did hit the beach though!

Wonderful airboat tour to ourselves!

Health wise 2013 was one of improvement. My 2012 surgery seems to have helped many issues. It’s a slow and gradual process getting healed and stabilized but well worth it. Sadly as you get older bouncing back from such things goes slower than I’d like.

Finally for Mike – he’s nearing the end of his Navy career and retire looms on the horizon. I don’t know what we’ll do with ourselves. We’ve spent all our relationship with our lives accommodating the Needs of the Navy first and foremost. Now, there will be no monthly drills, no 2 weeks or more of active duty, no call ups – just waiting until we need to collect retirement. However that might be pushed off another year or two if he can. Captain Mike loves his Navy.

Yep Blue is the leader and the cause of frequent screen repair in the summer. As you can see his brother hangs back to ensure all is well.

Our remaining pets the two Furry Boys – Red and Blue are facing problems of aging cats. Red has chronic kidney insufficiency. Blue had hyper thyroid. They both take medication regularly. They are healthy and happy but aging like the rest of us.

As for comics… Yes I’m still into them. Saw Thor The Dark World and enjoyed it. However I do agree Tom Hiddleston’s Loki got the best lines. Then again I’ve always enjoyed snark (sarcastic humor). As for reading – I am behind. As in a few short boxes behind not counting those I only get in digital form. So be patient with me, I’ve been writing more than reading. However if there’s an issue you really want to chat about – shout out to me and I’ll be sure to move that title to the top of the catch-up list.

I guess that gets everything caught up about me and mine. Hope you and yours are doing well, had a great holiday season and are looking forward to 2014.

January 1, 2014
Projects – Jewelry To Call My Own

My display at a craft fair.

Sorry about yesterday but blizzard and house stuff caught me and wouldn’t let me go. I looked up and it was 10PM so no post. **hangs head in shame** I am so sorry.

However what I was doing for myself led to this post! As you know I make bead jewelry and sell it. Didn’t so much last year with tumor, surgery and all. But that didn’t stop me from making it. Any way, I’ve robbed my stash a bit to make outfits for work. I mean how cool is it to have matching jewelry? Professional and cool then someone says “Phh that’s lovely.” and I can say- “why thank-you I made it.” Then I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I have explained that I like organization. I like having meals planned for at least a week at a time. I like knowing my work schedule at least a month at a time. I like being able to find stuff easily. I like knowing what I have and where it is… I like organization.

Well chronic health issues, having a slob of a teenage boy (don’t all of them come with that feature?) and generally no energy over the last few years. Things haven’t been as organized as I like. Seems when I didn’t work outside the home there was always tomorrow… the Scarlett O’Hare approach to organization.

I found myself scrambling in the morning for jewelry to go with what I was wearing. I’d find the right necklace but dang couldn’t find earrings or vice versa. Which is really sad for a woman who has literally 100s of each if you count her craft stock. I’d gotten so many necklaces that my jewelry armoire made them a tangled mess. Over the last month or so I’ve been pondering how to address the two problems. I came up with the same method I store my stock – zip lock bags.

One thing I have a lot of are various sizes of zip lock bags. I use them to store beads, chain, finding, finished product, etc. So I decided that I’d bag the necklace in a necklace bag, earrings (sometimes two pair because I have double pierced ears) in an earring bag then put those with the bracelet if there is one in a set bag. I could then just grab the set match a ring and watch off to work I go.

Great but I discovered that – well I’d been raiding my stock stash rather inconsistently. Some I’d not worn. Those went right back to stock. Some I didn’t get earrings with which for me that’s a must. I don’t always wear bracelets but I do always wear earrings. Then there were pieces that needed little repairs that had gotten shoved to the back of here or there.

Which brings me to my new project – aside from this blog, genealogy, doing bead inventory, scanning old pictures, my novel, losing weight, increasing exercise, my reading list, crochet, and solving all the world problems to create harmony among all the creatures of the planet – completing the pieces that aren’t a set and repairing those that need repair. I mean really I might be a sow’s ear and never be a silk purse dang it I can be the best put together sow’s ear you’ve ever seen. Heck you might not want a silk purse woman after seeing that!

I intend to do some before/after crafty posts on this project. Stay tuned to see what I’m doing for myself! It’ll make mornings easier, my jewelry armoire more organized, my look more put together, and be good advertising for my merchandise. It’s a win, win! So stay tuned – until next time!

February 27, 2013
New Year Means Inventory

Blue sea jasper with fossil inclusions pendant

I have as the saying goes more beads ‘than Carters has little pills.’ It is so true. Last week while in Virginia Beach I went to bead stores whose stock was less than my personal collection of unmade components. That’s when I realized (no, not that need to stop buying beads don’t be silly!) I need an inventory system.

The last bead store I visited was owned by a retired Navy couple (he was a retired Captain from submarine force imagine that!). We chatted and after loving the receipt I got where each item was named and quantity given I turned the talk to inventory. They said that Bejeweled software had a program for craft show jewelry designers.

Well now I got money as a Christmas gift and this sounded great. After checking it out on-line. I settled on purchasing Jewelry Design Manager for my needs. Fit my Christmas money and needs – great!

Now for the hard part – putting all my component inventory and finished goods into the system. No really, remember I COULD open a small bead shop on just my components! We’re talking the thousands. Each has to costed, photographed, and entered.

Um, that’s what I’ve done for three days. I’ve just worn the tip of the iceberg. The good news is I do have a finite number of items (unlike genealogy where there are infinite people when taking living dead and by marriage). That means an end does exists.

The bad news is I do have a life beside beads and somethings have to give. It can’t be my writing time that’s my other personal business goal. It’s gonna be internet time. I’ll still post Monday through Friday, that’s my plan even if it’s a wave and a photo. I’ll still answer comments, e-mails, and the like but maybe every other day on that. I’ll read them daily so if you need a response put that right up front in the message. I expect I’ll tweet more 140 characters is quick and vents my non-story writer.

I’m here. I’m not going away. Just deep into two projects (novel & inventory). Until next time! Take care.

January 16, 2013