Starting a New Job!

Well, tomorrow will be my first day as a state employee.  It will also be the first time in almost 30 years that I have to actually "dress up" for work (I wore scrubs at the hospital and really casual clothes at the bead shop.)  It will be the first time I will be catching the bus to go to work since there is no parking available downtown, and I got my first bus pass ever!  I'm a bit nervous, but I think it'll be good.

Health: Since my last post 2 months ago, I have had strep throat and intestinal flu.  Yuck!!!  Hopefully, I'll be healthy for a while now since I'm starting this new job.  I don't want to call in sick in the beginning!  I actually didn't get sick at the bead shop for about 10 months before I got the strep throat.  Got my OB check up done this week so predictably I won't be going back for another year!  Yay!  BP was okay, but again, this doc said the weight has got to come down.

Exercise:  Not yet, but I'm hoping I'll get more exercise in since I have to catch the bus and walk to and from the bus stops.  Since I should be reaching home about one and a half to two hours earlier, I'm hoping to get about 40 minutes of exercise in as soon as I come home (either on the treadmill or one of my videos.)  We'll see how it goes.

Creating:  I'm still beading and have a few pic to share below.

Oh, last night was the last performance of Iolani Schools, "The Wiz."  It was awesome!  I was so impressed!  All the kids and adult directors and choreographer did a great job.  It was one of the most enjoyable plays put on by a high school that I have seen yet.  My dd did a great job, had a fabulous time and wants to tryout again next year!

Okay, enough talking, here are some pics:

First and foremost, here are some gifties from friends:

Elaine went to the Tucson bead shows and to CHA in Anaheim.  She brought me all kinds of goodies!  There were gemstone beads, glass beads, findings, a bead spinner, leather components, a pashmina wrap, a Miyuki glass bead card, a Simple Joys sign that she made, and all placed in this cool bag!

Karen brught me back some goodies too!  Some cool strands - coin pearl, opalite glass, and turquoise chunks:

Donna also brought me back some cool gifties!  A button card with awesome buttons and a Clover pin (I collect pins!)  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of them, but trust me, they are way cool! 

Now for some awesome "leaving one job and starting a new one" gifties:

Sandy created this super cool and thoughful gift basket:

It's an office survival basket!  Here's some closeups of what's in it:

Okay, how cool is this tag?  OMG!

 

And all of this was in a cool green (yes, green!) and white striped box!

Kathy gave me this Russian Leaf Necklace kit from Crystal A-1.  I don't have a picture to show you what the finished necklace looks like, but it is absolutely beautiful!  I'll post pics when I'm finished making it.

Karen took some of us out to dinner as a Bella Beads farewell.  She gave me this beautiful polymer pendant:

 

Thank you all so much for your thoughtfulness, creativity, and generosity.  I really appreciate all the wonderful gifts and all of your precious friendships. 

Here are some bead pics:

This is a simple beaded bead I made following directions in the book, "The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving" by Carol Wells

I made several and strung them into a necklace with other glass beads.

Deb and Sandy started making another beaded bead from the same book.  I decided to modify the shape to a smaller one and then Sandy and I together decided to modify it again using a different size bead for a particular row in the beaded bead.  I copied Deb's colors exactly.  Thank you guys!  Sandy made hers with a bead combination we had bought together.  I haven't done that color combination yet, but I will post it when I do.

The next two bracelets were inspired by Andy.  She made two bracelets almost identical to these and I copied them using some of the beads I had, but most of the beads came from Andy.  She also gave me the chain, the cool leaf, the dragonfly and thai silver beads to use.  Andy is super generous and talented.

I love brass!  I made these simple drop tulip earrings.  It's the first time I used the large kidney earwires.  They're pretty cool!

Amanda made this cool polymer clay ring and gifted me with it!  I love it!  The colors are so-o-o cool!

I made this bracelet using a pattern from either Beadwork or Bead and Button.  Sorry, I can't remember right now.*  The one in the magazine was done with carnelian rectanlgles and wasn't floral.  I had these MOP rectangles for a while and kept it in the back of y mind looking for a cool project.  A customer had come into the shop in October or November last year with a floral garden bracelet done in black, bronze and bone.  I loved the color combo and kept that in the back of my mind too.  When I saw the carnelian bracelet it just came together (although it looks really different because of the components used.)  I love it when that happens.  When a project comes together like that.

* At the request of Barb, I was able to locate the mag with the pattern.  It's the Aug/Sept 2007 issue of Beadwork, page 66-67.  Thanks Barb for the request!  I've been meaning to look it up.

   

Karen had a puffy heart necklace in the shop and I wore it one day since I didn't have any jewelry on.  I loved it.  I'm not usually into the crystal beaded objects and critters.  I love to look at them, just not make them.  I really wanted to do this one (maybe because it was so close to Valentines, plus it was strung on a yummy gunmetal chain.)  Sandy said she had a pattern for it and that it was pretty easy.  I bought the crystals and she taught me how to make it!  Yay!  Thank you Sandy!  I messed it up a little when I was reinforcing at the end so I'm thinking of redoing it. 

 

Well, that's it for now.  Wish me luck on my new job!  I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow morning when I have to catch the bus!  Ha! Ha!   

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Good Luck on your new Job! I think after all those gifts you can open a jewelry store by yourself. I laugh. It's wonderful that you have so many friends which love you and spoil you with such beautiful jewelry items. Good Luck again:)

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Can you identify the issue of the magazine where you found the design for the rectangle bracelet? I'd like to get a copy of the directions.
Thanks for your help. I love your designs.