Mystery Exchange for Angi

I made this little needlecase for Angi as part of the mystery exchange at the Robin's Nest board. Since it was a mystery exchange, I decided that I could stretch the needlework category to include seedbeads stitched in a peyote stitch pattern. This is a similar technique to the "Pyra" bag I have been working on. The Japanese Kanji on the front of the case means "forever", which I thought was appropriate, considering that most of us would like to think that our needlework will continue forever.

The pattern is from the "Beaded Favors" book by Jennie Might which I picked up a couple of years ago when I was at Shipwreck Beads in Washington State. I've been meaning to make something out of the patterns for a while, so I'm glad that this exchange came along and I could use one of the patterns.

The blog candy contest in the post below is still open until tomorrow night, so I'll draw names then...

Blog Candy - Part 2

I made it to the weekend (finally) and thought I'd offer up a blog candy draw. If you're not familiar with how blog candy works, I'll draw a name from all of the comments I receive in this post on Monday night, and send the winner a treat. I'm not sure what's on offer yet, but I have new Swarovski crystals, new findings and time to do some lampworking this weekend, so I'm sure it will be a good prize.

The "rules" are simple - the contest open to everyone - if this is your first visit or your seventy fifth, you're still eligible. You can enter if you've stumbled across the blog or if you're a regular reader - just leave a comment, and I'll include it in Monday's drawing.

Another exchange received!

I received this gorgeous pin-keep from Svenja as part of the Mystery Exchange at the Robin's nest. I love the design that she chose for it, and the sparkly extras were a big bonus too!

My Spring Exchange Parcel

This is my spring exchange parcel from the Rotation BB - from Marjean! I love all of the extras that she put in it - the tin even has sugar cookies inside. It was a great surprise at the mailbox.

Spring Exchange is Home....

I got word from Autumn that my spring exchange piece arrived! I really liked working on this one, and I hope she likes it as much as I do. The button in the centre is hand-made out of glass, and I realized it matched Vikki Clayton's Meadow thread when I made it. So.... a biscornu was made.

The comission I made for Belinda arrived and she's got a picture over on her blog. I forgot to take a picture before sending it off, but she's posted a picture on her blog. Belinda was also the recipient of my 3rd PIF, which I also forgot to take pictures of.

Our hockey team is out of the playoffs, and that's it for hockey here for another year. The series was only really remarkable for the slash that one of the goalies gave to another player in the closing minutes of game 5. He's their back-up goalie, and only plays when the other goalie isn't doing well or is hurt. I hear the team has some young talent coming up through the ranks, so I suspect that he'll be asked not to play nexr year.

I'm Back....

I was on vacation for the last week in New York - one of my favorite cities! I love the energy of the city and how fast it all moves. I managed to catch a Broadway show, a Yankees game and do some shopping!

I'm dead tired at the moment, but should have more updates tomorrow.

Ornament Finishing....

I finished this last night - complete with a couple of lampwork beads. It think I showed this in the planning stages, but here it is completed.

Progress Updates

The Blog Candy winner is in the post below - congrats Jules! I have a couple of stitching updates to share. My Spring Exchange piece at the Rotation Stitchers Board is in the mail, as is my "Mystery" exchange piece at the Robin's Nest.

I've also posted updates on Pyra, Alhambra and Watergarden. Pyra is entirely stitched out of seedbeads - one connects to the other with thread. It's not hard to do, but is time consuming. It's also a little tricky, as the pattern is in full colour without any symbols. In order to keep the lines straight, the pattern includes a template to isolate the current line of beads, but when you put the template over the pattern, it can be hard to distiguish between all of the different colours of beads. I think I've figured it out now, although there are a few fudges in the design.

And the winner is....

The original prize is on the right, but I decided to give both beads away. They were just a little too small to make into fobs, and I wasn't sure what else to do with them. For the contest, I cut up lots of little slips of paper, threw them all into the nearest container (which happened to be a measuring cup) and drew out Jules name! So congrats Jules - just send me your address (caycay at shaw dot ca) and I will put these in the mail to you.

Wow!!

I never though I'd get the kind of response I got to Wednesday's post. The contest is still open, so leave me a comment in the post below, and you'll go in the drawing.

Blog Candy...

I haven't run a contest in a while, and I have one bead I *love* but just can't figure out what to do with. So I thought I'd run a contest, and the bead is now officially the prize. To win it, leave me a comment in this post between now and Saturday (April 14). It's open to everyone - if this is your first visit or your seventy fifth, you're still eligible. You can enter if you've stumbled across the blog or if you're a regular reader - just leave a comment, and I'll include it in Sunday's drawing.

It's Hockey Night In Canada

It's that time of year - spring playoff season! The Flames made it into the playoffs this year, and it's a big deal in town. The first game of the series starts tomorrow, and you can already feel the excitement in the air. Of course, I live across the street from the stadium, so sleep is somewhat at a premium this time of year, but it's all for a good cause.

Happy Easter and Pyra Update

I've been working a bit on Pyra from Amuse Ink lately. She's made out of Delica seed beads and is a peyote stitched amulet bag, and is coming along well. The stitched work is a bit deceiving, as the back of the bag is worked at the same time as the front of the bag, so it sometimes looks like I've only got half as much done as I really have. I'm almost at the half way point in this project, but I really like the way it's turning out.

**Edited to clarify a couple of things**

Happy Good Friday

I honestly don't know where the week went - it wasn't especially busy, but it went fast! I haven't really stitched much this week, and haven't really got anything that I can show from the torch either. I did finish up one beaded commission completely, and need to get that mailed tomorrow.

There isn't much else new - most of the activities that I have on a regular basis are taking a spring/easter break, and it was nice to just chill for once. I haven't quite decided what I'm doing for spring - I was trying not to over commit myself, but it looks like I'll have two softball leagues, a couple of dance classes and who knows what else, so it looks like I'll be as busy as ever.

It might be the snow in Calgary that's put me in this kind of mood. I read a poll recently that most Canadians are actually not that upset with global warming, especially if it means less winter. It's been snowing on and off all week, and I'd love to see the backside of the snow.

Bathroom's painted - bedroom's almost done

I've completely finished the spare bathroom, which for a 4 foot by 4 foot room is *way* more trouble than it's worth. I have just about finished the spare bedroom, which is where the computer and modem normally is. The desktop is in pieces in the living room until all of the painting is done, so I'm currently writing on my laptop.

It's Finally Friday!

I don't know why, but this week has felt like it's gone on forever. I'll be so glad to see the other side of it!

It's been very busy at work, and it's the kind of busy where you feel like you're never going to catch up. All of the documentation that we have needs to be updated or changed, and there's a lot of it. It isn't the most exciting work, which is why I suppose it's dragging on forever.

I've also got painting planned for this weekend - the spare bedroom and the spare bathroom. Nothing's been painted since I moved in 5 years ago, and the paint is the extra flat paint that looks fantastic for showings, so it's picked up quite a few marks and spots along the way. I'm also planning to clean the carpets in the spare bedroom, which should provide me with plenty of exercise for the weekend. Wish me luck!

My Amazing Mail Day

I was blessed with not one, but two special packages today! I finally got my biscornu exchange from Natty, who did a great job with the stitching. She guessed from my blog that I like cool colours, and picked out the blues and greens especially for me. I love the extras she put in - a couple of skeins of Six Strands Sweet and a Sweetheart Tree Chart

I also got a PIF from Katrina, who send a gorgeous scissor fob (with my initials on the back !), some very lovely quilting fabric, and some chocolate covered Altoids, which are devine!

I'm so pleased with both of them!

I finally have beads!

I finally got a chance to clean up some of my "treat" beads over the weekend. I've been in the middle of a custom order for a while, and I'll usually make one creative bead for each 5 or so that I make for the order. I'm *this* close to finishing the order as well - I have enough beads, but just want to make a couple of extra in case any break along the way.

Sunday Morning

It's Sunday morning, and while I've actually done quite a bit this weekend, there's not a lot I can show.

For progress - I just need to make a couple more beads, and then one commission is done, and I finished the beads for another. It's always nice when things come together like that, and I'm sure that the recipients will enjoy having their finished pieces. I also finished the bottom half of the "Mystery Exchange" over on the Robin's Nest, and started on the top half, but discovered that I mis-counted, so I'll have to start that again. I do need to finish a couple more PIF's, which I'm hoping to do by tonight.

I'm still waiting on a biscornu from the biscornu exchange over at the Robin's Nest. For whatever reason, the mail I sent to the Netherlands got there in a record 5 days, but my incoming mail (which I think is coming from the states) has taken over 3 weeks to get here. Sigh.

I think I'm off to the farmer's market this afternoon - I indulged a bit much this weekend, and feel the need to get some healthy veggies and other good food to make up for it.

Finally... Some sleep

I play on a couple of sports teams - volleyball Tuesdays and dodgeball Wednesdays. Both teams are organized through a large sports league here in town, and they rent gym space whenever they can get it. Unfortunatley, that means that some games are later than others, as was the case this week. On top of that, it's the last week of play, and we stopped for a couple of celebratory beverages after the games, so I've staggered home rather late this week. I took tonight off to get some much needed rest - I took a nap earlier, and am headed to bed shortly.

Tomorrow will be a big day - I should know more about what's going on shortly. If you have any good thoughts, I'd really appreciate them - I could use them right now.

The greatful reminder

Today was one of those days when you remind yourself how lucky you are - even if everything isn't perfect, or not everything is the way you want it. I am so greatful for good friends, a sane family, an interesting job, and a life I like.

I got good news today - and hopefully there's more to come. (This would be in relation to the thing I can't yet talk about). In the middle of it came the realization that my life is still good even if it stays the way it is.

The weekend was fantastic

I'd forgotten what a treat it is to be surrounded by mountains - they're only a little more than an hour away from here, but like most people from the city, I rarely go up there. Everything in the city is so fast paced that to spend most of the weekend going to the mountains seems like such a large deal.

It was snowing lightly as I headed back yesterday, and the mountains were at their best - the tops covered in cloud, with snow patches highlighting the valleys. I wish I could have stayed for another week.

Alhambra - March 17th

I finally got some stitching in on Alhambra again - I think I'm at that part of the project where you're not sure you like it anymore, but you just want it to be done. I am really liking how it's turning out, and can't wait for the beads....

Have a great weekend!

I'm so excited.....

It's the second annual dodgeball-team ski weekend! Last year's was in April, and it was one of the first entries I posted on the blog. How a year has flown!

Some friends and I are headed up to a local ski resort this weekend - I'm spa-ing, and they are skiing. I skied last year, and really regretted the opportunity not to spa, so this year I'm headed for a scrub and a facial. It should be a great weekend - the weather here is warm enough that it will be nice in town at the ski resort, and there's lots of good snow left for those who want to ski.

And we're back.....

to sunshine. It snowed most of this morning, and the view out my office window today looked more like a horrible January storm than March. But 5 hours later, we're back to sunshine, and the snow is melting again.

This city is so strange.

It was 64 degrees this afternoon, and now it's snowing....

The city that I live in has the strangest weather. Honestly - event the weather forecasters have a hard time with the city. It was 64 degrees (or 18 degrees, if you're Canadian) this afternoon - a bright sunny day, no clouds, just like March is supposed to be.

5 hours later, it's now snowing. Granted, it's a spring snow - wet, thick and coming down in clumps. But it's still snowing. I want it to be real spring - the kind that involves flowers and not snow.

Decluttering....

I'm having a bit of a declutter this afternoon, and I discovered that I had 3 scissor fobs that I was meaning to sell, but haven't yet done so. If you're interested in the scissor fobs, they're USD$15, and that price includes shipping anywhere in the world. Email is caycay at shaw dot ca, if you want to contact me about them or have any questions.

Welcome to daylight savings....

I have at least something to share this morning - I offered up a prize to get some interest in a local mailing list, and I thought I'd show it here before sending it off. It's a cell phone charm, and the bead is more of a light turquoise colour, but the backrgound doesn't really show that off very well.

I actually did get quite a bit of stitching done over the last two weeks, but not a lot I can show. I finished my spring exchange for the rotation stitchers BB, and started on the mystery exchange for the Robin's nest. I'm also hoping to finish up one remaining project shortly, which would cut my list of obligations significantly.

Thanks for all of your good wishes and good thoughts - they are appreciated! Just so you know, everything is good here, but there may (or may not) be a major change coming that I'm trying to prepare for. Again, terribly cryptic, but all I can say for now....

I have so much I can't say....

I know I've been quiet lately, but there's a lot going on, and not a lot I can share in public. Cryptic, I know, but to be on the safe side, I'll keep things quiet for now.

I might actually get to stitch tonight - I've been rather pathetic in my stitching efforts, and haven't stitched much lately. I have a little bit of progress on Epoche and not much else, but I think I might go back to Alhambra tonight - there's not a lot of confetti stitching in that one, so it's actually a pretty easy stitch.

Stitching Update

I finished up most of the stitching on a "Spring" exchange piece for the Rotation Stitchers Board - since I obviously can't show the finished piece, I thought I'd show the floss toss.

The solid purple bar down the middle is the glass rod used to make beads for one part of the piece. It was one of my "treasures" discovered yesterday when I went into a glass store that I hadn't been to in a while. The last time I was there, they had only a few beadmaking supplies. This time, they had *all* of the colours available, clearly labelled, and priced. It was heaven. (The other glass store in town doesn't carry the whole line of glass, doesn't label much of anything, and prices at the end of your purchase by pound. They're lovely people, but I think they've noticed a drop off in business)

Biscornu Exchange Made it

Judith let me know that the biscornu exchange that I sent her made it safely to the Netherlands. I only mailed it on Monday so it was a pretty quick travel!

I was at the glass studio one day, and fooling around with making some buttons. I ended up with a purple transparent button with purple and green spots on it. When I got home, I discovered that it went perfectly with SNC's Fairy Quilt Cottage - one of my favorite fibres, so I stitched a blackwork design with that. The fabric is Country Stitch in Merino. I really like the way that this design came together. (The back of the biscornu only has a regular (shirt) button on it - the shanks on the back of the glass button are a little too thick to use two of them for one biscornu.)

From the not so great idea files.....

A couple of Canadian politicians thought they should raise awareness about asbestos in children's toys - this is what they came up with.

Not this time....

In response to my Tuesday post - I was looking at an overseas move, which was just too perfect to be true. A similar position opened up a couple of weeks ago, but it was a little too junior. This time, the position was more senior, but only very short term. A longer term, and I could have re-arranged things here, but short-term would be hard to do. I appreciate all of the good thoughts over the last couple of days - I will keep looking and hoping that something will turn up.

Do you ever get that feeling

Do you ever get that feeling, that deep inside your heart feeling, that you know what's supposed to happen next?

I had that feeling today. I have no idea about what will happen, or if things will happen the way that I want, but I think it's worth pursuing. The last time this happened, I found my current job, one which I enjoy immensely. This time it's a bigger plunge, but one that I really want.

Progress Updates....

I stitched on two pieces this week - my long neglected Watergarden and La Epoche Nouveau. I had a cleaning/organizing spree in my stash box a couple of weeks ago, and sorted out all of the pieces that I was working on. I ran across Watergarden, and am really enjoying stitching on it again. Epoche is going to be *sparkly*. I'm trying to complete one area at a time before moving on to the next, so I've added some of the beads, and it really is going to be a spectacular piece. I'm so glad I'm working on it again.

Sometimes you just need a reminder

I took a walk yesterday, and came across this group of ducks and geese playing in the river near where I live. I took a couple of pictures to remind me of why I live in Canada during the winter. The return of the ducks and geese are a nice reminder that it will also soon be spring here.

I also found that a couple of the beads that I made last weekend go perfectly with the ornament I made this weekend. I hadn't really planned it that way - it just happened that the blues and purples went together perfectly. I need to add a tassle and some cording, to completely finish the ornament, but I'm pretty happy about how it all matches at the moment. (For the record, the beads are sitting on the stainless steel mandrel that was used to make them, and the two clear bits underneath are the ends of glass rods - it wouldn't sit properly otherwise)

From the comment files Faith Ann asked how long it takes to make each bead. On average, I'd say it takes me between 5 and 20 minutes. The bigger time comsumption is getting beads that look good thought. Bead making is a very fickle hobby at times - the bead can only be so warm or so cold, and what you're putting on the bead needs to be at the right temperature or it doesn't stick and the amount of glass you put into a press to get a pressed bead needs to be just right or the bead doesn't turn out. I'd say I toss at least one out of every 3 beads because it's cracked, or the design is smeared beyond recognition or something else has happened to the bead.

It's Christmas Ornaments SAL weekend

I did "finish" my Christmas ornament late this week for the Christmas Ornament SAL It's from the 2006 JCS Ornament issue. Instead of the recommnded colours, I used Vikki Clayton "Orb" and Waterliles "Amethyst".

A week of the blahs....

It's been an exceptionally dull week here, and I wish I had more to show for it. I didn't really stitch all week, except for a little bit on Monday, so this week's updates might be kind of sparse.

I didn't really do much else either - my Monday dance classes were cancelled because of the public holiday here, Tuesday I had a meeting and couldn't make volleyball, Wednesday we didn't have Dodgeball (our team had a bye). I did make it to a drop in dance class on Thursday, which was good. It was nice to get some exercise - I hit the gym a little bit on Monday, but not as much as if I was just going on my own.

I'm going to chalk this up to it being the end of February - it's almost light again here, and I find that having more sunlight makes all of the difference. We live in mostly darkness throughout much of December and January, and it's nice to see the return of daylight.

I do have a couple of things to do this weekend - I'm about half way through making beads for a commission that I took a couple of weeks ago, and will try and finish that up this weekend. I also have to get a couple of things in the mail including my biscornu for the exchange over at the Robin's Nest, so a trip to the post office is in order.

Have a great weekend everyone - hope it's warm and sunny where you are.

Gift made it

I made this for Carol in a blog draw, and she let me know today that it finally got there. It took longer than I thought, so I'm glad that it finally made it.

5 Questions Answered

It's been a long day - I made some changes in my life a couple of months ago, and I got word tonight that a couple of people aren't very happy with it. It's tough, because I heard this through a third person, and neither of the people who I suspect aren't very happy have discussed this with me. It's a volunteer thing, and although I have made a commitment to the volunteer group, I need to balance volunteer things with a full time job, a ton of extra stuff, and having a life. I'll fully admit I made the decision in the best interest of me, but since the volunteer gig is only really paid in personal satisfaction, I think I get the right to do that. So I'm here, with some great music and a glass of wine, trying to think about other things.

On to the other things.... The 5 questions were:

1) How did you get into beadmaking? In a round about way, it started with a trip to China a couple of years ago. There was a lady in our group who was really into hand-made beads, and spent a lot of time showing people her jewellery. After I got back, I decided I was taking a class at the local college of art. At the time, it was supposed to be a glass blowing class, but the glass beadmaking class and the glass bead making class were next to each other in the catalogue, so I took the beadmaking class. From moment one I was hooked - I knew that this was something that I would persue for a long time.

2) Post a picture of your most favourite bead? This is my all time favorite bead. I've tried this technique since, and it's never quite turned out the same since. (Kudos go to Larry Brickman for teaching me the technique)

3) What supplies do you need to make beads? The beads are glass, and the glass comes in pre-coloured rods, so you need the colours you're going to work with. You also need steel rods which have been dipped in a clay-like substance (called bead release), and a torch to melt glass. If you're getting fancy, there's all sorts of add ons - ground glass pre-mixed in different colours (frit), sparkly glass (goldstone or adventurine), small slices of cane (murini) and other bits to make the glass look good.

4)Dream project relating to beads? I'd love to be as good as any one of the people I admire - (Melanie Moertel, Anastasia, Leah Fairbanks, and a select couple of others).

5) If I could be anywhere right now, where would I be? I fell in love with the idea of owning a winery in New Zealand a couple of years ago - if the stars aligned, I'd own a bead studio/winery there.

Great questions - thanks for asking!

I've been tagged

I was tagged by Karen to complete this. The rules on her blog are explained as follows.

Five Questions.. and Five Things...

For the first part, 5 Questions - my dear readers can ask me five questions--either in comments or feel free to email them if you'd prefer. I'll answer them in the blog as soon as time allows.

For the second, Five Things About Me:

Here are the rules:
1. Get tagged.
2. List five things that have not been revealed on your blog.
3. Tag five others.

Five things that haven't been revealed on the blog:

1) I was born about 500 metres from where I now live - literally. If I lived on the other side of the block, I could see the hospital.
2) I lived for a couple of years in the Caribbean. I think quite a few people know this, but I don't think I ever blogged about it.
3) I'm half way through making the beads for the commission that I'm currently working on.
4) I drive a Jetta, which I spent about 18 months shopping for.
5) I celebrated Chinese New Year on Saturday with friends at a chinese restaurant - we all ordered a dish and had a wonderful feast. (It's something I was meaning to blog about, but hadn't got around to yet).

I think I'm going to pass on tagging other people (it's the benefit of being the blog owner!), but if you're interested in using the meme, please go ahead.

Movie List

I shamelessly stole this from WhizGidget: I guess I do have a life (or maybe not) as I've only seen 66 of the movies. Of the movies that I have seen, I do own a remarkable number of them (anything in a capital X).

It's been said that allegedly if you've seen over 85 movies you have no life. I have my own opinion about that, but now is not the time. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x's by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, change the header adding your number, and post it.


(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
( ) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(X) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
( ) E.T.
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
( ) X3
(x) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
( ) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
( ) Hook
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal

Sunday Updates

It seems like I've designated Sunday as my update day, and here are the two from this week. I restarted "Le Epoque Noveau" from Dimples Designs. I was not happy with how the old version was turning out, and figured that since I was spening that much time with it, it was better to be happy with the finished product. This is going to be *so* sparkly - there's a ton of beads to go on, and most of the unstitched space will have beads cover it eventually.

The other update is Pyra - I love how she's coming out. She's going to be really sparkly as well.

I went to my LNS this weekend to pick up the extra bits for exchanges that I'm working on. I'm currently in the biscornu exchange at the Robin's Nest, the mystery exchange at the Robin's Nest and the Mystery Exchange at the Rotation Stitchers BB.

I haven't really done that much else this weekend - it's a long holiday weekend here, and I fully intend on doing as little as possible! I was feeling poorly last week, and am trying to get better fast. We're having some coverage issues at work, and I can't really get time off at the moment, so I'm trying to look after myself.

Today's SBQ and Pay-it-Forward update

First of all - thanks for all of the kind comments on the beads - they're one of my favorite styles, and I love that beach glass look that they have.

As for Pay-it-Forward's - I will now admit to having 3 spaces open in my PIF. I wasn't sure how much time/energy/effort I would have, and so reserved the PIF spaces for a while. I've completed the first two, so will open back up the PIF's to the next three people who email me at caycay @ shaw . ca (take out spaces). Pay-it-forwards are random gifts that I think the recipient would like, and so may be beads, stitching, or other crafty whims. I also ask that if you receive a pay-it-forward that you do something nice for the world - whether it's hosting your own PIF, or by giving of your time, talent or other gifts.

It's been forever since I've done one of these, so here it goes:

Do you like to buy “chartpacks” that include charms, buttons, and/or beads or do you prefer to gather all materials yourself?

I have bought quite a few chartpacks, and will buy them especially if there are things that I can't find anywhere else. I love Jeannette Douglas and Victoria Sampler charts, and buying the chartpacks is much easier than trying to find all of the accessories later.

PIF #2 made it.....

I got word from Michelle that the second of my PIF's made it. Michelle got a set of beads, as I saw from her blog that she had bought loose beads before. I also knew Michelle loved Mirabilia's, so I tried to make something reminiscent of Mill Hill treasures, as I figured that would be her style.

I also got a custom order this week based on this set of beads! So I'll be making quite a few more of these in the future.

Progress Updates....

I have 2 progress updates this week - I worked on both Alhambra and Pyra this week. I did end up taking Pyra apart and re-starting her. I guess it's hard to have much enthusiasm for something when you don't really like what you've done, so I thought it was best to restart.

I keep forgetting

I keep meaning to blog about one of my Christmas presents. It's a cat shaped soap that I received from a very well meaning person, but I'm suspecting that the gift fell a little short of it's mark.

The cat-shaped soap is supposed to magically "grow hair", or at least that's what the box says. So I unwrap the soap, and put it in a dish to watch what happens. I'm not expecting great things, but I thought I should at least give this a chance.

The cat shaped soap doesn't really grow hair as much as collect dust. You can see some little fuzzies along the side of the cat in the picture, but it's all dust. Nothing resembling hair. I guess it was worth the trial - at least now I know there is no way of magically growing hair.

Ouch....

I decided to head up to the dance studio after work yesterday to make up a class I'd missed. The class I was attending was "flex and tone" and it was a bit of cardio and a bit of stretching, and overall a fantastic workout. So much so that I definitley definitley feel it today - my shoulders, biceps, abs and just about every other muscle is screaming!

It's snowed quite a bit here - more than I remember snowing last winter. We've had so many people move to the city for work, and not all of them know how to drive in the snow and ice that we get. There's been a lot of traffic accidents, and it's probably going to get worse than get better.

It's cold and snowy....

Winter has finally hit here - we've had such a mild winter this year, except for the part I missed because I was out of the country. It's been snowing for two days, and it's actually cool in my condo tonight, so I guess it must be winter.

Some friends and I went to the ballet tonight - the ballet company here had collaborated with Joni Mitchell to produce a ballet set to her music. It was wonderfully done, and we all really enjoyed it. The choreographer really enjoys showcasing athletic movement, which looks fantastic, but I'm sure requires a lot of strength to dance too.

The week in review....

A couple of things have happened in the last week that I thought worthy of mention here, and today seemed like a good day to do it.

- Harry Potter VII is out on pre-order. The lovely people at Amazon sent me two emails to let me know. I am excited - it's been a fantastic series so far, and I'm excited (and a bit sad) to see the end of the series. I discovered the first book 5 years ago on a flight to Vegas - it was so good that I couldn't put the book down, and picked up the next book for the return flight home. I suspect that I won't pre-order through an on-line source this time, as you had to pay for guaranteed shipping on the day of the release for book 6. There were several places around town with boxes of the book on the first day, and so I'll probably just pick one up when it gets released.

- The hockey game. I was so distracted by expense report woman at the hockey game that I forgot to write anything about the game itself. I honestly think it was one of the best games that I've been to - the first 2 goals were only 15 seconds apart (both for our team), the third goal was disallowed, the other team got 2 goals, we got 4 more goals and then a goal that didn't count. Oh - and 4 or 5 guys got thrown out of the game for fighting. How much better can hockey get - an 8 goal game, couple of contraversial calls and some fights. It was a marvelous game.

- Sunday Dinner - I went out to dinner with a friend on Sunday, and it was lovely. I'm sure it was heretic somewhere to go to dinner on Superbowl Sunday, but it was the only day the two of us could get together, and I wanted to catch up with him while he was in town. I paid the bill, and I realized that I've been calculating tip wrong for the last 6 months! Our Goods and Services Tax decreased from 7 to 6 percent in July, and I'd been so used to just doubling the GST to arrive at 14% that it hadn't occurred to me that the double of 6% is now only 12%. Fortunatley I added a bit more to the bill, but I'll have to remember to add a bit more when I tip from now on.

The Alhambra Update

This is what I got done on Alhambra this week - I'm hoping to finish up the last little bit of the top left section today, and then I'm completely done with the top third of the design.

So I'm at the hockey game...

I'm at the hockey game last night and my buddy and I are sitting next to a family of four - mom, dad and two kids. All is good until the second intermission, when mom starts to pull out her expense report, and proceeds to fill in the details. The guy I was with and I were both completely aghast - It's *Friday* night, you have tickets to a professional sporting event, you're spending quality time with your family and you have some need to do paperwork in the middle of it? I know people in this city love to claim to be "busy", but I think doing your expense report at the hockey game takes that to new lows.

In other news, I love the new non-smoking bylaw here. We're likely one of the last cities in North America to go smoke free, and last night was the first time I've been to a bar since the non-smoking bylaw was passed. It's fantastic! I love coming home and not needing a shower because I smell like the inside of an ashtray. I can actually enjoy a pint with friends now.

It's almost the weekend...

Tomorrow is Friday, and for that I'm so grateful! It's been a long week, and there's no end of it in sight. I thought this would all get better after year end and audit and whatever else were done, but it seems to stretch out forever.

I booked my vacation this week! It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I'm very excited about it. I've been dealing with a semi-non-responsive (or very busy) travel agent this week to try and get the whole thing booked and get an early booking discount. I still have to get a plane ticket and a couple of nights hotel and a few other things, but the basics are booked.

Oh - and I'm headed to the hockey game tomorrow - Go Flames Go!!

From the comment files

I got a couple of comments recently that struck me as needing a response, so I thought I'd have a go at it. Silver Thistle asked about starting beadmaking. I don't know if there is a right way or a wrong way to start beading, but I started by taking a class at my local college of art. The class I took included two full days on the torch, and there were only 6 of us, so there was lots of individual attention. I've posted the first beads I made at that session - the're off-centre, half burnt, and generally don't look like much, but they have a special place in my heart. Since then, I've had about 2 more years of practice, own several good reference text and have taken classes from whomever I can find. There are some amazing beadmakers out there, and there are special few who are good at sharing their amazing stuff with other people. I've been fortunate to learn from a couple people in the last category.

As far as expense, I don't even dare add up what I've spent so far. It would probably scare me, and shock everyone that reads this. It's not cheap, and there's always something else to buy. There are different types of glass, and not all of them can be used together, which means I must own about 5 different blacks, whites and clears in different types of glass because I can't use the different types in the same bead.

That being said, I do love it. I love turning this gooey, molten mass into something beautiful. I love seeing how shiny beads are. I love that each one is it's own little work of art.

(And to the Troll Bead question - I don't have the equipment right now to make silver cores - I'm looking at it, but it's not in the near future).

And Michelle wrote me a lovely comment about some glass people she ran into at a show. I honestly hope never to be someone who takes myself that seriously. I guess I've always thought of myself as an artisan rather than an artist - someone who enjoys the process and the craft rather than trying to express an idea through my art. I mostly do what makes me happy when I make things - if that means bright pink polka-dots then so be it.

An Alhambra Update

I actually got quite a bit of stitching done on this during the last week - I usually only have an hour a day or so to stitch, so progress is slow, but most of the time there is some progress. I think having the blog here helps me to get something done - it's nice to look back on the pictures and see how much has actually been done.

And the winner is.....

I said I'd draw for a bead from all of the comments on the "Pyra" post down below, so I did, and the winner is Carol! I haven't picked out anything to send her yet, so it will be a surprize to both of us. - Carol - please email me at caycay @ shaw . ca with your address, and I'll get something in the mail to you.

In other news, I listed several bead auctions at Just Beads this morning, including the spring floral set and the tiger set that I showed here earlier in the week. We'll see how everything goes with the auction.

I took the day off.

I'm supposed to be using up some of my flex days at work, so I took today off. I watched an obscene amount of Grey's Anatomy, which included Discs 1 and 2 of the Season 2 DVD. Add to that last night's episode, and you've got a real Grey's overdose. I have to admit I was slightly shocked by the ending of Thursday night's episodes. I think I know how this one is going to end, but I'm sure the writers have more twists and turns in store for us.

While watching all that Grey's Anatomy, I stitched (of course). I finished my January Christmas Ornament for the Christmas Ornament Stitch-A-Long. I still need to find the Mill Hill Snowflake Treasure for the middle of the ornament, but I will pick one up the next time I am at the needlework store.

I also got quite a bit of stitching done on Alhambra - I'll post pictures of that later in the weekend.

My Pay It Forward made it....

I sent the scissor fob to the right to Katrina as a Pay-it-Forward. I was getting a bit worried, as I'd sent it out about 2 weeks ago, and hadn't heard anything about it yet.


If you're interested in having a bead, or beads, be sure and comment on the Pyra post below. I will draw for a free bead from those who comment on that post tomorrow night!

I have the evening off...

So I think I might actually stitch! Last night, I finished side one of the Biscornu for an exchange over at the The Robin's Nest. I think it's looking quite good, and I hope the recipient likes it. I haven't quite decided what the other side will look like yet - I might do the whole design over again, or just the border, depending on my mood at the time.

Oh - and I don't think I've blogged yet about how much of a fan I am of "The Hour". Finally, the CBC gets something resembling hip and cool. It's definitley the best new thing on TV this year. If you don't live in Canada, the episodes are broadcast on the web as well.

The Sunday Files - and a question

I've been working on AmuseInk's Pyra, and have stopped because it doesn't look right to me. I thought I'd post pictures here, and see if anyone in the blog-isphere had suggestions. Pyra is supposed to be a peyote stitched bag. I tried doing the beading in the round, meaning that both front and back are worked at the same time. Now that I have an inch or so done, it looks weird. It doesn't really sit flat and nice like I think a bag should - it kind of stick open and looks funny. I'm tempted to take out what I have and re-do it, but I thought I'd ask for suggestions first. As an added incentive, anyone who comments and offers a suggestion is eligible for a bead draw! I'll pick a name and send them a bead (or beads or something even cooler than just a bead, depending on my mood at the time) for their time. Everyone is eligible for the draw - it doesn't matter if this is your first time to the blog, or I've gifted you with something before or you've never commented before - it's all good. Just leave a comment. I'll make the draw from all of the comments received by the end of Friday, January 26th.
(And Michelle - I haven't forgotten that I owe you something, it's just that I'm tryin' to do something nifty and it's not worked out yet. Soon, I promise!)

I also have an Alhambra update. If only I got this much done every week. I'm now motivated as I'd love to join the St. Petersburg Chatelaine that starts in April, but I need to get this one done before I spend more money. I'm looking at going on a trip between Prague and Moscow, through Poland and other places in Russia. I'm *really* hoping it happens - I have to re-arrange somethings at work and it depends on the trip actually running, which I can't control, but we'll see how this all works out.

I also have a bead update! I finished this set of tiger beads this weekend. I'm quite enamoured with a few of them - I don't know what they'll look like on your monitor, but in real life they're a deep rich carmel colour. I'm not totally convinced it's a true tiger colour, but I *love* the colour that they are - perfect for jewellery. I have a couple of trial beads in blue. I was trying out different types of vine cane on these ones. Vine cane is the background of the beads - it's supposed to look like a vine, and it sort of does on these beads, even though it's blue. I have three different types of vine cane on these ones - blue with lots of black (left bead), blue with a little black (right bead) and blue with darker blue (middle bead). I think I like the blue with a little bit of black - it provides enough contrast without being over the top. I'll likely make a set of these when I get a chance. These beads are all from the new set of tools that I bought from Zoozii's a couple of weeks ago. I'm still figuring out how much glass goes in them to produce the correct shape, but getting the hang of it slowly. The bead on the left is a "nugget" and the beads in the middle and right are "sprees" or straight sided lentils.

I love those days....

When you get to sit around in your PJ's, drink coffee, make a real breakfast and otherwise just chill. I've decided that today is going to be one of those days - I have no real plans, and the week has been such a schmozzle that I need a break.

It's (of course) year end at work, which means doing about 47 things at the same time, and making sure that all of them are right before the auditors get to look at them. And covering for an absence and a few other things. It's been quite a whirlwhind.

And everything I do in my personal life has started up again. I know I shouldn't think "oh, I can fit that in" when someone offers a new opportunity. But I do. And I'd love to be more fit and skinnier and all of that good stuff, so signing up for every activity under the sun *seems* like a good idea at some point in time. So this week, I made it to two dance classes, two different sports teams, a 3 hour meeting, and a professional society dinner. All before Thursday.

But today's about stitching, and relaxing and drinking coffee. And for that, I am greatful.

New Beadie Happy Dance

I got home late tonight from a professional society dinner, so I'm not that inspired to write tonight. I do have some new beads to share, so I thought I'd add those to the blog. I got a new glass press a couple of weeks ago, and these beads are the results of my trials. I actually got two - this round one and a square shape that I haven't had a chance to try out yet. Glass presses are a bit tricky to use, as you have to figure out how much glass needs to be in the bead before you smush it. Too much glass will leak out the sides, and too little results in a bead that isn't shaped properly. You then have to figure out how much glass to add at each stage of the bead to end up with that much glass at the end. These beads are tricky - it's a green base, with some glass bits added, covered in clear, dotted in white, dotted in blue and then purple and then smushed. It's not an exact science, but I think these ones came out nice in the end.

The Amazing Race

I'm totally excited for the new season of Amazing Race - it's going to be all stars, and several of my favorite teams are back. The coal-miners from Kentucky are returning, as are Rob and Amber and a few other notable teams.

I have to say, of all of the reality TV shows, Amazing Race is the only one I might actually apply to be on. I've been sucked into watching a few other reality shows (well, actually most of the reality shows, if I'm really honest with myself). I don't think I'm talented enough for American Idol, Project Runway, or So You Think You Can Dance. I don't think I'm tall or tiny enough for America's Top Model. And I don't think I started out famous enough for the Surreal Life or that Paris Hilton one. So by process of elimination, I think we're down to Amazing Race.

And I think it would be cool to travel to all of those places - I'd probably have to pick someone who didn't mind the eating challenges (although I have already eaten camel prepared the same way as on the Amazing Race last season, so I may have a stronger stomach than I think!). I don't know how I'd handle jet lag and what I'm sure is a lack of sleep, but most contestants on the show seem to be ok, so I'm sure I could tough it out. Especially for a million dollars.

The next season starts in February, so I can't wait until then.

Alhambra Update

I stitched a little bit in the past week - not very much, but here's an update..

The Monday Files

There wasn't a lot going on this weekend - we had a wrap up party for one of the sports teams that I play on. Friday night we cooked for the party, Saturday we had the party. The cooking part I don't actually mind, as it was accompanied by several good friends and many glasses of wine. And many more on Saturday.

Other than that, not much happened. I made a couple of beads over the weekend, but none of them turned out the way that wanted them too, so they might end up in the special bead pile. And I went shopping on Sunday, but only returned home with a few things of make-up and some groceries from the expensive grocery store. (I only shop at the expensive grocery store when I need Japanese breadcrumbs, because half of the recipes that I own call for them, and no-one else carries the breadcrumbs).

More beads...

SBQ - Cross Stitch Dreams

It's been *forever* since I answered one of these, and I'm procrastinating from doing something else tonight, so here it goes:

• Do you dream of running your own LNS/ONS? If so, tell us about your dream. If not, tell us about your cross stitch dream… maybe you dream of designing, dyeing your own floss or fabric, etc.

To tell you the truth, I'd love to own a cross stitch B&B / retreat. I'd love to be so financially secure that having an income didn't really matter, and I'd be able to not care about "making money". I'd love to just have a space for people to come, hang out, eat, cross-stitch, bead, and do whatever they'd like. There'd be wonderful food, a good glass of wine each evening, a selection of good chocolate, and enough light to see what ever you were doing.

That's my dream.

Looking forward to Mondays

I'm home from dance class, and I don't know what to think. I went tonight (Tuesday) because I have a couple of make up classes that I can go to free, so I thought it would be nice to go to a class that I took last semester and didn't make it all that often too. The hour or so that I'm there is fantastic - I honestly don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. Everyone in the class jokes, banters back and forth, makes quips. But at the end of the night I didn't really leave breaking a sweat.

Monday nights, on the other hand, I come home drenched in sweat. I'm afraid to go to the gas station on the way home because I look *that* awful. Honestly. It's pretty nasty.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm honestly not capable of working myself as hard as I get worked on Mondays. I can go to the gym, but can rationalize leaving a couple of minutes early, or turning the machine down a couple of notches. I can't do that in the classes - I have to work - there are too many mirrors and too many other people not to.

I posted that I've been to every single Monday class, with the exception of those that I was out of town for. I turn down hockey tickets for Mondays because of dance. This isn't like me. I rarely go to all of something, and certainly not at the expense of hockey tickets.

I guess I feel guilty because I'd like to like the Tuesday class. I'd love to feel the same way about it as I do the Monday class. But I don't. And I'm kind of glad that I only have the couple of make up classes to do.

The Tuesday Report

Pay -it-forward #1 went out in the mail today - I hope the recipient likes it. I will post pictures here once she has opened it, but I figure it's not fair to reveal here first.

I went to my first dance classes last night. I take ballet and irish dance on Mondays, and so far have lasted 2 semesters and have only missed the classes when I've been out of town. Please note that this is a personal best for me - I've miserably failed at attending most things, including Salsa, Belly Dance, Highland and Spanish. I ususally get busy, and then get behind, and then have a hard time catching up.... and so on...

I promised an Alhambra update

and here it is (ignore the creases):


This is the end of one page, and a tiny bit of the start of another. It's coming, sometimes a little more slowly than I would like, but it is coming.

I'm hoping to start St. Petersburg mandala this year, so I am trying to make substantial progress on this before starting anything new.

I've also posted all of my progress pictures in an album over to the side - its always neat to look back and to see your progress on something like this. Its come a long way since June!

The Saturday Report

It's Saturday, and I'm really tempted to go back to bed. Some friends and I shared many bottles of red wine last night, and it's not agreeing with me very well this morning.

It was a bit of an interesting evening - one of the friends I hung out with last night works with another person I'm friendly with. I'm not overly friendly with the second person, but we do have lunch or brunch together every couple of months. Last night's conversation centred around the second friend - she's married and apparently she's been overly attentive with a couple of the guys in the office. This isn't sitting well with my friend. Apparently somehow I'm the bad person for maintaining the second friendship, even though it's only lunch every couple of months. The friend I shared wine with last night really feels "wronged", and although I do see some of her points, it's hard for me to really assess the situation if I don't see a lot of what actually goes on, especially because I don't work with either of them anymore, and don't see the day to day stuff. The two people involved have never really gotten along, and so I know I'm not really getting the unfiltered version of the truth. I don't really maintain a close friendship with the second person, but I don't really want to give up the friendship only to please my other friend.

Other than that it's been a pretty quiet week. I've been trying to be good and get to the gym, and have been fairly successful so far. I live near a large multi-use facility, and it's ordinarly busy with ongoing things. This week of course, it's been extra busy with everyone trying to keep new years' resolutions. I tend to work out late, but I've been going a little later than usual to try and get a machine that's open. I don't tend to sleep as well then, so I've been really tired all week.

Oh - I'll have an Alhambra update soon - I got lots done over Christmas, and want to put pictures up soon.

The New Year stuff

I've been trying to be good this week - working out at the gym, bringing lunch to work, cleaning the house. It's been kind of nice when I get up in the morning and know that I have most of what I need to done, but it's also extremely exhausting, and I'm tired. I hope it gets better....

New Beads

New Year! and New Beads

A large "Welcome to 2007" to everyone who read this. My New Year's "plan" is to get in shape, and to that end, I've been at the gym every day since Friday, and will be heading over after I finish this. I don't use the word resolution, since the word hasn't done much for me in the past, and I think "plan" is a much better use of the word.

For anyone who might be interested, Spark People is a free to use service that does pretty much the same thing that other commerical programs do - it measures calories, exercise, etc. From what I can see, it's as well run as one of the commerical programs that I signed up for, so if you're planning to make a healthy lifestyle part of your life this year, you might want to try it.

Ive posted pictures of new beads as well - they're similar to the bead I posted a couple of weeks ago in colour, but have huge holes in them so that they string onto a cord really nicely. I'm going to have to learn how to line beads like this in silver at some point, as I think it would look really cool.