**@#@*$^(#& the crafty bastards

Thursday was a bad day in the news of glass for me. I heard from the city paper and the one show that I wanted to do this year is not going to happen this year...Why in the world would they change to a smaller venue when they had 120 people show last year and knock it down to 70...And when you have over 200 apply for the show and they had to vote out 2/3 -I was cut. So where does that leave me now other than pissed off at the city paper and the fact that I don't get to be in the show this year - Without a fall show...A large fall show that is. There are others who got cut from the show too...And so we may bond together and form our own show for friends and coworkers in the fall.

IF we find a good location with parking in the area and invite friends to come and see fused glass, beading and precious metal jewelry close to the holidays, will they buy?...Do you think that the offer of wine and snacks will attract them?

I have to remember where crafty bastards took me in the past year - HGTV (crafters coast to coast) would not have happened for sure, if I had not been in the show and placed the ad that has been running for free since...Damn it, I was the featured Crafty Bastard of the week and I still got cut - I have talked about it non stop for a year -do they know - no they don't - that I have been a great advocate for the show and the paper for the last year. -- Guess I should have sent a piece to the office and not just pictures - pictures don't do the glass justice all of the time. Ok so I have my stuff out in Harpers Ferry too due to the ad too...The only one that I have found on my own would be Hoopla Traders...And my friends who all love to wear my glass and are great about talking it up and selling it too. At least I had not started adding up stock for the show...But I am still very disappointed and upset over all about the show.

In other news of glass I have a lot of new glass to play with- and much thanks to M & T for a belated birthday gift of glass...A ripple of emerald green that I have never seen, a clear radium, and a solid blue ( that did break in the mail - but I tend to like the broken pieces better)... Then there is the latest arrival from Melissa Treasures of water cut cowboy boots, a clear bubble, rainbow daisies on black and butterflies on clear. And then there was a full order from PJ that came the week before in some of the Savoy patterns on black along with some clear dichroic stringers. OK so I still have some other standard glass that I want to order... Big dots on clear and the small boxes, the never ending list of glass that I want to buy. BUT now the question comes up with do I need to make this order since I no longer have the big fall show that I was planning on... Guess now I need to play with the ribbon awareness glass with the torch for the fall and then start the VERY late wedding gift of a stainglass window for Mona and Jeff. Maybe it is a sign to take a break from the fusing or take the stress out of cranking them out for a show... Another show will come along...But I do think this is another reason why it is just a hobby and not job...

Yesterday I should have been Blond...

Yesterday I should have been a Blond...In the rush to get a package to my Mom out by the end of the day and make it to glass before 8, I lost my head in the middle of it all. I was walking out of the office and spotted a nice box in which I could use to send the package, so I grab it and head out to the car. Drive over to the post office and find out that the humming bird feeder will not fit into the priority box, so I had to make it fit in the one I brought with me, so I pack it in there tight and fill it with shredded paper, tape it up, pay for and head out the door. Thinking this is great it will get there in time for Thursday and all is well - oh no its not- I get in the car and start looking for my phone, that's when I realized that I had packed my phone in the box that was on its way to TN...so I go racing back into the post office and tell them what I have done...they start laughing saying that is one they have not heard of happening...and before I open the box up the girl was like do you want to call it and make sure its in there...so she hands me her cell phone and I dial the # and sure enough the box starts to ring. So I open it up from the bottom and out pops the phone. I am just laughing at this point. Tape the box back up and head out to the car.

On the drive home I realize-WHERE is my MUG? In the middle of all of the madness of getting the package out and then retrieving my phone, my mug gets left...now they dont make my mug any more, they have switched to some keg looking mug that has a twist lid and for some reason twists lids dont always work for me...so I had to wait and see if I could make it to the post office to find my mug...luck was on my side and I found it there this morning, its a good thing cause my back up mugs are either to big to drink with one hand and you have to seat belt it in so it will not flip over or just not big enough...I guess I need to start looking for another 32 oz mug in case this one goes missing for good.

On the drive home pop up showers had hit the area so traffic was backed up and I sat on the end of the toll road onto 66 for 30 min trying to make home. Made it home, get dinner and off to the studio...its not a good sign when you are walking in and the note on the door says "new member retention meeting, in the back of the chapel, the coolest place in the church", you guessed it the AC went out again...what is it about being over 90 outside and the craft room not having AC...you can say it was a HOT night before the kilns were even turned on. My turtle that I tried to make from last week looks more like bear without ears with a bubble on the shell, the green turned light gray blue, not what I expected but still fun. The bubble set (ring, earrings and pendant with the striker glass that turned a dark purple) did not turn out the way that I had hoped so I did another round. If it was not for a birthday gift I would have left it but there are some requests that you try and live up to. I had all new glass last night to play with so I was trying out samples to see what they will fire up as. The next new order should arrive before next Tuesdays class so there will be more fun new things to play with. And I still have some other glass that I want to reorder, its never ending but I think I want some clear big circles (which are great for double overlays) and I need some small boxes...and maybe a ugotglass order of specialties too. Guess that all of my birthday money is going to glass, now that really is not a bad thing, got to spend it where you love it.