Well I didn't mean to let so much time pass between posts on here. We had a wonderful vacation recently in Canada, and spent some time in Detroit as well (above, at the Henry Ford Museum). We were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful weather- low 70's- in July. Not something we are used to down here in the south, it will be many long weeks before we see our temps drop to that low. And I am looking forward to it. I always enjoy spring, when my flowers are blooming, but right now my flower bed is for the most part, winding down. My spring bulbs are long past blooming, and I have a sea of waving green (but browning) fronds all over the garden. My few summer flowers are wilting under the August heat. I will be happy to see fall get here, and soon.
I've been staying busy at home with my pottery. My wrist pain is still preventing me from making too much, as far as being able to work the clay. I've been focusing on beads lately, because I can pinch off a tiny piece of clay and roll it around in the palm of my hand. I do not need to bend my wrist at all, although when it comes time to glaze them, holding the paintbrush for too long has become an issue. I've had one cortisone shot, I've had fluid drained from my wrist, and on Monday I go back for another cortisone shot. I've been wearing my brace as often as possible, sometimes even sleeping in it. I've gone through a ton of pain patches and Motrin with not much relief. If the shot on Monday continues to leave me in pain, I will have to buck up and have the surgery. I'm going to give the shot until the end of September, as the doctor said it can take a few weeks before the cortisone can do its work. This DeQuervain syndrome has been hanging around since January of this year, and every time I go see my ortho, it's about $400 out of pocket for me. At that rate, I should have had the surgery at the start!
Although I haven't sold any of my beads on Etsy, I continue to see other similar shops selling beads as fast as they can get them listed. These are obviously established shops with committed followers, and I notice, a lot of custom orders. I can pay to advertise on Etsy, instead of just hoping people stumble upon my shop. I have made enough beads that are ready to glaze, to load up my kiln at least two more times. After that, I'm taking a break from making beads, as I have plenty listed for sell. I may consider advertising on Etsy, so that my beads show up prominently during searches. My prices are fair, and I believe my quality equals much of what I am seeing in other shops.
James said, shouldn't you go back to making your tiles? He is right, my tiles used to sell like crazy, back when I was on eBay and before I moved over to Etsy. After I get my shot on Monday, I'm going to rest my hand as much as possible, to let the shot do its thing and let the inflammation heal. I've been working on my beads every day, so I'm going to take next week off from pottery. It's been a lot of fun though, and I love the glazing process the best. What a glaze looks like out of the jar, sometimes has no correlation to what color it will be once it's fired, and opening up my kiln to see how everything came out, has been the most fun part of making them. (See below photos, glaze before and after it's fired.)
Also on the books is the arrival of our new bedroom furniture in a few days. And most importantly a new mattress. Finally. Our current one is sadly ready for the trash dump. It's saggy and lumpy and worn down. I (we) picked out bedroom furniture to match the living room set we got not too long ago. I love it. It was pricey, but it's time for us to have some grown up furniture instead of using the bedroom set I had before we were married. This will be the set we keep for a lifetime. And I'm hoping that in the mornings when I get out of bed, I will not be stooped over like a 90-year-old anymore. Of course, now I am making James' head spin by saying we need all new linens and a comforter.... :) Still shopping around on that one to find exactly what I want.
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