Zen & The Art of Bead Making
There's nothing as relaxing as slipping on the head phones for the IPod, lighting up the torch and melting some glass. I can lose myself in the act of prepping the mandrel, applying bead release, grabbing the right rod, and making a bead.
Sometimes I am so lost in the act, enjoying the music so much, that I sing along (loudly!) in front of all the neighbors! I think my boys are mortified. I'm sure their friends appreciate the amazing version of "Crazy on You" that bursts forth from the garage as they all play outside.
Seriously, making beads is something I could do for hours on end. I need to work on my set-up though, because it's not very comfortable. At the end of the day my back aches something fierce!
I took some time to organize things in The Studio (aka my half of the garage where there is no workout equipment or pool machines). I got a wine rack and some glass bottles from IKEA and sorted my rods. I picked up some ice cube trays (they make tall, thin cubes) to hold stringers and twists. I took the spinning spice rack from the kitchen (I get the spices I use regularly from Costco in giant containers!), dumped the spices, and filled the containers with frit and squares. I even labeled them with the Brother label maker!
And yesterday when someone on a yahoo group mentioned never walking in the studio with bare feet, I grabbed the broom and gave The Studio a good sweeping. I will never go barefoot, but doggy feet wander through regularly.
I guess I could say The Studio is ready for the public!
