I promised a generic update a few days ago, then ended up drowning in errands, chores and orders. But I really want to share some good stuff.
First, with the help of a very nice semi-lurker here on RCB, I'm getting a new website designed. So far it looks GREAT, and I can't wait to unleash it. I copied all the wonderful suggestions I got when I asked here a while back, and plan to make it much better.
Next, I'm blissing out on some new glass....it's Gaffer glass, normally a furnace glass, being brought in by Valorie Cox over on Wet Canvas. I LOVE THIS STUFF! The Coffee Break set I posted Tuesday and the Watermelon set I just sold on Justbeads are two of the first sets. Today I was playing with more hollows. This glass makes hollow-making EASY! Val says she has more colors in the next batch, and I'm just about drooling in anticipation. It's so cool having something new for inspiration!
Also on the glass front, I've been experimenting with blowing on a very small scale. Just really silly looking bubbles and stuff, but I'm learning a lot. One big lesson is that I need to adjust my workspace somewhat because I need to stand up over the torch sometimes. Not much I can do about it now, but in the future......
Which leads me to my happiest news. The building site we want should be available very soon. AND we're preapproved for the price of the house and more options than we really want or need. Of course, we have to jump through all the escrow hoops and stuff, but we qualify!!! And that was purely on Mike's income, which means my bead money and my trust dividends can be used for silly things like new furniture and an oxygen generator. Oh, and my dream studio, of course.
We're NOT being silly about the final package, either. We figure we'll do as many things as we can out of the "standard" package, and upgrade them on our own later. The one exception is anything that involved large amounts of plaster dust. We want most of the walls to stay intact once they're up, so we'll splurge on wiring and plumbing stubs in possible place, like for a sink in the laundry room. Not something I think we need immediately. We're going on the cheap with flooring (vinyl in we places, tile later), counters (formica for now), and cabinets (their basic oak is pretty cool anyway). Our three serious splurges are a full back patio (instead of a tiny square of concrete out the back door), an energy package (insulation, low-E windows and other goodies), and a master bath with separate shower and oversize tub, and glass block windows. We figure they're things that are either difficult to retrofit or not worth the wait.
I can almost let myself breathe now, but I think I'll probably really be waiting til I have a key in my hand. Think kind thoughts for us when we get to the color-choosing phase.