Hello! Hope this finds you in good health & good spirits as well! Can you believe this heat or what?! I actually prefer this heat than the cold weather. What I don't like is when we are ready to leave the house, the simplicity of opening the door to get into the garage is stifling! When the remote opens the garage door, you can just feel the impact of the heat just wipe you out. It is very hot out here. This would have been a fabulous week down at St. Simons Island! If you haven't been there, it's such a very lovely, quaint place. What I like about it is that it's quiet and certainly not commercialized at all. It's our favorite vacation spot. It's just beautiful swimming with the dolphins all around. We love looking for sand dollars. If you don't know how to find them, it's very easy... when you are in the water and you feel something underneath the arch of your foot, DO NOT MOVE YOUR FOOT!!!! If you have someone with you nearby, have the person go under the water and slide the sand dollar out from underneath the arch of your foot. They do NOT hurt at all. When you see the sand dollar, don't be surprised if they aren't like you normally see them... Let them dry outside and in the sun for as long as it needs to be dried... (They are a very ugly gray when you first get them)... After they are completely dry, you then add clorox/water (you can do 50/50 if you want or 30/70... you'll just have to play around with it until you have the desired color you want)... soak it for several hours to several days... that is up to you... Of course rinse the sand dollar very well in cold running water and again, leave it in the sun until it is completely dried through and through. St. Simons has just about every imaginable shell for the area readily available for you to find. At the pier (there's only one pier there)... you'll find lots of conch shells, etc. Just be very careful at the pier because that is where everyone fishes. You don't want to step on hooks and any sharp object.
We rarely if ever drive there. We just ride our friends' bicycles... we have friends who live there. Marc is a golf fanatic so friends of ours live on the golf course and they spend the day a couple times during the week golfing the entire day... it's just spectacular! It's not a place to go to for children... they wouldn't like it there very much as there's really not much for them to do... it's geared for people who like quiet places... they do have a lovely little playground for toddlers/children... parents can sit and watch the sun set... it's lovely!
If you want to know more about St. Simons Island, please feel free to email me or ask me anything you would like to know. If I don't know the answer, I'll just give our friends a call and provide you with the information.

Next post I'm going to write will be about the BJP I'm working on... (Believe it or not... JUNE's project!!!!) I know... I know... It has been a very busy summer.

I feel like putting all kinds of shells that I collect from when we go to Savannah (Tybee Island to Florida) on the site... I do love shells! I know what some of you are thinking... Been there, thought of it and will do it! I will incorporate shells into embroidery beading once a design comes to mind... right now what I have in mind isn't quite coming out the way I would like for it to.
I saw someone's work on Deviant Art done with RAW and another stitch... (maybe the square stitch if I remember correctly)... it was truly one of the loveliest beaded necklace I've seen.... If she sells her patterns over at Sova's or is it bead-patterns? (always get the two mixed up). I will get it regardless what it costs. It is a very beautiful necklace. If I find it, I'll post it on here if I have her permission to do so. If not, I'll just list the link. Pearls aren't my thing... but that necklace is something I wouldn't mind wearing at all. My oldest would probably snatch it from me because she's into pearls in every sense of the word... If I make that, then she can actually snatch that one from me!
Don't you ever wonder where your bracelet, tweezers, phone, etc have 'disappeared to'?.... If you have girls, more likely than not, they have managed to snatch it! lol! But seriously... all chit chat aside... I will ask the gal if I could display her necklace that she made. I'm trying to remember her name and only remember her online name.... hmmm... One way or the other I'll let you know... it is truly a stunning piece. This woman does NOT follow any patterns. She made a couple of beaded bras and they are truly jaw droppers... her work is incredible. She obviously has quite rare skills to bead anything off the top of her head without a pattern.
A friend of mine is like that as well... she has always been drawing life forms and whatever she draws, she incorporates that into lampwork bead... stunning work! Speaking of lampwork... I'm still trying to convince my husband that this is a really *good* hobby to get into.... I think what is making him turn the other way is the fact we would need vents, etc... I wonder if anyone who does lampwork beads makes it in the garage or on the deck? Do you have the whole kaboodle set up for lampworking? It gets extremely expensive buying lampwork beads after a while.... I am especially quite attracted to the electroformed lampwork beads. I think that's what it's called.... I also like beads etched.... not so much that it starts to look like beach glass.... I am seriously thinking of adding this onto my to-do list.... I can either tell him we'll save money (wink) or I can tell him I'll just have to buy more for the woven bracelets/anklets/necklaces... will keep you posted! But if you can share ANYTHING from torches to vents... anything in the field of lampworking, I would be forever appreciative!

Will post my BPJ that I am finally just getting started on... (JUNE's project!!!!).... I'll also post what I've learned in class on Tuesday evening and actually had a lot of fun!

Stay cool!