OT Can we have a roll call.

Last time I switched carriers I took my phone number with me.

And yeah, keep the bitchy posts coming! :-)

Maren HiloBeads: Beads - Beading Supplies - Hand-made Jewelry

Blog at: On Feb 14, 7:18 pm, snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote: > Yeah, we don't get cell phone service at home either.  But some other > folks do.  But I hate to change carriers, and phone numbers. >

[...]

Yes, me too!

Shirley! Oh Founder of the Spoon Club!

Ahh I have been "missing in action" for a long, long time. Life, and all those stories are just to long to go into. But - it is nice to see that there are still a few names here I recognize - and your "roll call" spurred me to reply.

I'll have to start reading again - but what is with ALL the "non-bead spam!" Agggh - digging through all of that is sooooo annoying!

Hi to everyone who still remembers me -

yes - I still make lampwork beads - but not as much as I used to.... I switched government jobs in Dec 2007 - leaving the building I had worked in for over 28 years! what a shock!

However- absolutely LOVE my new job (I work in Foreign Military Sales division, we "sell" military hardware to other governments... and UK is one of "my" countries Shirley! Maybe someday I will get lucky and get to take a business trip over the pond!)

My grandson, Ean, is my biggest joy....

I keep an "on again" off again, short blog on my webpage -though it is only accessible to those who type it in directly (not from any link on the page). just add blog.html to my main website name...

Nice to see the familiar names here -- oh - and Jerri - I have resident guinea pigs now... but have not managed to get any outfits to "dress" them up... and two cats (Lola is my new baby - Domino was miffed, but now enjoys the company).

Hi to everyone!

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl. I still have your photo up here over my desk. The one were you are making a bead.

It would be nice if you got over to the UK, but it would no doubt be London the capital. I do not travel far from home and I think London would be a no no. My heart problems escalated in the last 15 months. Do you remember when I was planning to visit the USA and see as many beady friends as I could. DH suggested I saved all my birthday and Christmas money gifts so that I could. Alas I did save the money but can no longer travel abroad. A dream dashed to pieces.

So welcome back and pleased to know you are happy in your new job Hugs Shirley

In message , snipped-for-privacy@dragonbeads.com writes

Amazing... I haven't posted in YEARS, and I look today to see Shirley's post for a roll call! Anyway, I was a serious poster for a while, then life got complicated (in a good way), so I thought I'd check in again. I used to live in DC, then moved to VA for 11 years, and just moved back to DC again. Thanks to our pal, Sooz, I went from beads to collage (and "altered books"), and now I'm in flux -- the move has us still living out of boxes, and many of my art supplies are still in storage! I recognize a lot of names still here!!! And I was one of Shirley's spoons recipients! Great to check in! - Susan in DC (used to be Susan in VA) p.s. A granny now, twice!

OMG - SUSAN! It's been ages and ages!

Barbara

Bead & Polymer Clay Habitué

There is a very fine line between a hobby and mental illness. (Dave Barry)

>> So come on lots hear from you and build the ratings back up on this group. >

Hey, Barbara!!! Yes, it *has* been ages!!! :-) I sure see a lot of familar names, though, and that was nice. :-) Great to "see" you again! p.s. [I see you quote Dave Barry -- an all-time FAB of mine! In fact, we watch the TV show, "24" religiously, and the best part of that show...is reading Dave's blog afterwards!!! Hysterical -- as usual!] :-)

Whew! I'm back!

I've had stupid computer issues for the longest time, and once they were all resolved, I couldn't get back into newsgroups (I use Thunderbird,

*not* google).

So many familiar names, and new names; it's good to see so many folks are still here.

I'm still putzing around with beadwork, nothing serious right now. I've got enough polyclay and fused glass pendants to stock a small shop , just haven't turned anything into jewelry.

Nine months to retirement for me and it still feels like it's taking

*forever* to get here.

I'm catching up on everyone's posts (and so very sorry to read about Patti).

It's good to be "home" :)

Cheers, Carla

Hi Carla, This is a coincidence. I was just looking at my RCB picture gallery this morning and was wondering how you were. Been so many missing names on this group. Karleen, Kandice, Bart pops up occasionally, as does Valerie who is not well. Barbara pops in to see us.

Where are Roxanne, Marcia, All the Vicki's, Margie, Sooz, Marisa, Kalera, Mona, Tink, Kathy H, Kathy NV, Fiddy and Cheryl also Candice and Georgia.

It is great to see you back. Hugs Shirley

In message , Carla writes

Hi Shirley...

I meant to answer the last roll call, but as a relative newbie to this group, just put it off (duh!!). I do hope you are on the mend or at least "holding your own". I had a bad Winter myself and hope I have seen the back end of hospitals and antibiotics!!

I have gotten to "know" some of the names that you mention, but I was just thinking the other day that it is such a shame that no one takes advantage of the knowledge on this news group.

I am still plugging away and learning all sorts of different styles, etc. I am afraid seed beading won't be one of them. My eyes are 'too old', lol. But still working with copper and just got a load of it in. I also love pearls and must make more up. My problem is with being retired.....where on earth do I sell it? No office to show it off to, local bead store shut down, and haven't decided if Etsy is the way to go yet.

Meanwhile one of the bead companies is making use of my 'eye for proper English' and I proof their website changes every week. Spell checkers can't get a lot of it. I rarely use one, for that reason. Now I will have to double-check this post, after being so bold as to say that. (grin)

Glad to hear from you anytime. And would love to see all of the lurkers post an update or two.

All the best from Canada.....Heather

Nice of you to drop in Heather. I understand about the eyes. I use Mag eyes magnifying glasses. Been having trouble reading small print lately.

It is difficult to know where to sell your beadwork. Like you I am retired and at one time I used to take it round the group of libraries where I worked. Cannot do that too many times though. I also got a few sales at the docotrs receptionists. They know me quite well by now. Actually I have not been doing much in the way of crafts lately, my get up and go seems to have got up and went.

Do not forget to post pictures of what you make. Hugs Shirley

In message , Heather writes

Susan, it's great to hear from you again. And I hope you're still around.

Why did you move back to DC? I hope it was a good move for you.

Isn't being a grandma fun! I still have just the one. Victoria is 8 now and is on a running team in Sacramento. She's the only white girl in on her team. And she's great. Fast, etc. Of course, her dad is a runner too. Now that he's over 40, he's in the Master Class, and went to Nationals last December. She goes to Montessori, thank goodness. She was being kept so far below her potential for her first half of First Grade it almost wrecked her ability to study and behave!!!

I saw Sooz in Berkeley, last Spring, but didn't get to see her when I was down for my daughter's wedding in Aug/Sept or to be with my mother in December after her injury. At 85 we still can't convince her to take normal care of herself.

We're still getting temps around zero most nights, but the days are warmer, it's beautifully sunny, and the pussy willows are starting to come out -- the first flowers of spring; you should smell them.

Tina

Carla, It's so good to see you. I'm still fighting computer issues too :-( So I haven't been consistently here for a while.

I know what you mean about being able to stock a small shop! That's what got me going about a month ago. Part of the problem was that I had a lot of stuff that I didn't know what to do with. Like beads that are just too big. Maybe I'll start a new thread about big beads. I never know what to do with them and sometimes I'll get one because I'm not careful enough reading descriptions.

And I have beads that I got when I first started buying lampwork that are colors (pastels) or styles (dots) that just aren't really my thing. I'm trying to put things like that together to sell even just at cost. I want to have only things that really WANT to use.

What are you retiring from? (I know you've told me before). And what are you going to do after you retire? Hope your assets are safe after this economic mess.

Tina

Hi Heather. Are you in BC? I used to live in Canada and loved it.

What did you retire from? I often refer to myself as retired, but am actually disabled by Depression. My brain gets tired way too quickly. Now I could be unhappy about it, but it's bad enough to have the organic illness without compounding it with feeling melancholy. Ironically, I have better mental health now than before this specific illness raised it's ugly head.

I like seed-beading, but right now I just have so much bigger stuff that I just need to use some of this stuff up so I can find the little ones! The other problem with seed-beading is than if you hope to make some profits, seed beading takes an awful lot of time and it's very difficult to sell for a worthwhile price. Although just for the sake of satisfaction, I really enjoyed the intricacy of seed beading.

I had hoped to place some of my floral pieces at the local nursery, which also has a coffee shop, etc. I'll try again next month. I'd even like to barter with my nurseryman, but when I was in it was his manager I spoke to. Maybe next month.

Sorry to hear about your LBS. It's so much cheaper to shop on-line, but it's very important for us to have that store as a resource -- for selling or when we MUST have some item.

Tina

Yeah, I wonder about my buddies too.

Has anyone heard from Kathy NV? I worry about her health, and wonder how Mandy is behaving as a teen-ager! And I miss Becki and Sooz and the Vickis and Kathy H, and so many others!

WHERE ARE YOU??????

Tina

I've been waiting and hoping for you to reappear! One of the few people here I ever met in person.

What are you making these days? (I admit I'm having way too much fun (spending way too much time) at lampwork etc.)

And I wish I was as close to retirement as you. - And then I don't. I'd love the extra time, but I also enjoy my work, and for the time being we can make good use of the paychecks. I'm hoping to work at least part time where I work now for another 20 or so years. Yes, that's past full social security age, but most of the time I love that job. And I hope to cut some hours way before then and make more beads, jewelry, grow plants, etc.-

It's good to see you here, and I'd love to share another "death by chocolate".

Aloha, Maren HiloBeads: Beads - Beading Supplies - Hand-made Jewelry

Blog at: East Hawaii Cultural Center Aloha Sunday Fair, April 19, 10-3

Shirley (good to see you too!),

Kalera is one of my "friends" at Lampwork Etc.. She's the one who got me hooked on lampwork, I last saw her in person last summer (our DD is in Portland too and we went there on vacation), and we occasionally p.m. or email one another. Last I heard from Georgia was an emailed compliment on some of my jewelry. She still has her website at

(and makes awesome stuff, IMHO) Tink exists at Lampwork Etc. (but as she largely predates me here I don't know much more than that). I have had some exchanges with Flonche at LE. Kandice Seeber is at LE too, and so is Dawn Scannell, not in threads I'm usually active in, but I come across them on occasion (I'm a lampwork newbie), and Teresa as well. Paulette Insall apparently has gone (back to?) painting, as I found out by web search. I know nothing about Sooz and that worries me. I'll p.m. Kalera, she may know something. Aloha, Maren HiloBeads: Beads - Beading Supplies - Hand-made Jewelry Blog at: East Hawaii Cultural Center Aloha Sunday Fair, April 19, 10-3

hello everyone! Well I haven't called in for a very long time but I have been thing of the bead group for a while now, so today I decided to log in at long last! I'm delighted to see some names I know and I'm hoping to make contact with some old friends as well as making some new ones too!

I'm Nita, my label is White Raven Designs and I live in Warooka, Yorke Peninsula - South Australia (formerly moonta SA) I consider myself to have lived a very varied and interesting life!

Looking forward to making contact! Love and blessings Nita.

Hey, Tina. We moved back to DC after 11 years in an idyllic country setting. We started to have health issues (DH is 72), and the one time I called 911 (for what turned out to be no big deal), it took them 30 min. to get out to us. We just felt we were not in a good place to "Grow Old' in. :-) Also, I had just fixed up our condo in DC to re-rent, but when DH saw it he said it was "too nice" to rent out anymore! Great complement! So back we came, and we've found the city to be much nicer and friendlier than before. A nice bonus!

We're in the midst of our annual Cherry Blossom Festival, and the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin are AMAZING!!! We've got a lot in our neighborhood too, so we're really enjoying watching Spring Sprung! :-) There are daffodils, forsythia, hyacinth, pansies, tulips, camelias, azaleas, Bradford pears, etc. etc! A really pretty spring here.

Yes, grandmotherhood is AWESOME! I highly recommend it. :-)

Beady hugs, Susan in DC