when the world is mud-luscious

Today I spotted the first daffodil of the season...and it's not yet April. It was just one of those stunted feathery daffodils that grow where a garden patch used to be, but it brought a quick blip of brightness to a cold gray commute. (I hope I remember where it was in time to warn Ray to slow down so he can see it on tomorrow's ride).

Seemed fitting that all day I'd been thinking about beading something green, leafy and viney with splashes of color. Soooo...I started what will eventually be a flowering vine of a necklace. Here's the first couple of inches.

It's Like Buttah

I’ve been doing plenty of beading but have not blogged since August, 2008…there’s probably no one out there asking why, because I had never spread the word that I had a blog (I wasn't comfortable enough to invite guests). That is about to change thanks to a generous claymate, Laura (check out her blog: http://abbett2.blogspot.com).

I’ve been an Etsy fan since my daughter pointed me to the site (she does much of her gift shopping in Etsyland and I’ve been delighted to be the recipient of some of her finds). That same daughter has been encouraging (nagging) me to open an Etsy shop for over a year, and I’ve been intrigued yet intimidated by my techno-clumsiness.

Laura overcame my fears. At this Saturday’s meeting of the Western NY Polymer Clay Guild she walked us through the process of opening an Etsy store AND how to find widgets and gadgets so I could point you to my Etsy store to this blog. I got home at about 2pm Saturday and, by 9pm Sunday, March 22 had opened my shop and listed five items! I encourage all of you who have been thinking about opening an etsy shop to give it a go…there’s a bit of a learning curve, but if I could do it...

So today I am spreading the word that I have a blog AND introducing my etsy shop…Stephanalia. The shop is unpolished and under-stocked, but is a work in progress (like many of my jewelry pieces...the piece pictured is a commission I have to finish this week). Now that I have the hang of it, I’ve resolved to update my shop and blog at least once a week (though I promise this blog will not be an ongoing advertisement).