Arguing with the beads

I feel like I’ve spent the last 10 days arguing (and losing the argument) with my beads. It happens. You’re going along perfectly happy in your relationship, and suddenly you hit a snag, and for a while you can’t stand to be around each other.… Read More

Is there still a place for blogging?

I miss blogging. There. I said it. I’ve thought about it for quite a while – usually when I have a good story to tell, or some cool news to impart. Sure I can do that on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest – but for a story, nothing beats the format of a blog post.… Read More

Super Bowl Sunday – at home

I have a lot of new readers and new beaders coming to my blog now thanks to the traffic on my YouTube channel. So Hi there! That also means I need to explain to the newbies what Tucson is. Yes, a city!… Read More

Challenges bring opportunities

You guys know me – I don’t sugar coat things. I try hard to be realistic about what it’s like being a designer and business owner and human being. I tell the good, the bad, and the ugly. And honestly, 2013 has been the embodiment of the Charles Dickens quote, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”… Read More

First YouTube Project Releasing!

Hi Beaders!

I have never been as excited about my job as I have been the last two months. Between being able to roll out a whole new website design with a spiffy new shopping cart system that makes my life and your shopping experience about a bazillion times better, I’ve also been conjyoutube graphicuring up this whole new YouTube Channel for beaders!… Read More

Cha-cha-changes!

There’s always room for improvement in any business, and this one is no exception. I’m addicted to lovely, beautiful organization, but ironically haven’t ever really had the time to implement it. Things happen so fast around here that Mom and I are always throwing together a system that works in the moment, but might not be the best for the long term.… Read More

Crankies

Mom mentioned today that I’ve been cranky for a while now. Dang. I was  hoping I’d been hiding it better than I obviously have been. Even so, I do think a little cranky is way better than the deep depression I am usually overwhelmed with in December/January.… Read More

Can I put a crystal on that?

I’ve been bit by the bug. We all know that I’m a crystal slut. After all, one of Poppy’s middle names is AB2X. Need I say more? But my newest fun is gluing flat back Swarovski stones on things. Basically anything that doesn’t move away fast enough is at risk.… Read More

Procrastination perfected

Things I found to do instead of writing the two sets of instructions due by morning:

  • Ate the leftover baked cauliflower from dinner
  • Caught up on my blog reader – which had 272 posts
  • Discovered I enjoy Baazar magazine now as long as I don’t think I’ll be able to purchase anything in there
  • Checked Facebook 33 times
  • Played Solitaire until I win at least one game.
Read More

Details make a difference

I have been doing a LOT of beading in the last week. As in, nonstop during the waking hours. I’m thisclose to catching up on my deadlines for various projects and I am so excited about it! But as I’ve been working away, I have a lot of mental free time and I’ve been trying to pay attention to some of the little things I do as I work that can make a big difference in the quality of the beadwork I create.… Read More

Woosh!

I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that 2012 is almost over. This past year has flashed by at warp speeds, and I’m left shaking my head and laughing. Ironically, I still feel like I’m planning for stuff that’s going to happen in 2012!… Read More

How Often Do You Bead?

From June:
As I sit here and read through all my Facebook posts and read the blogs I subscribe to, I feel like a failure. Why? Because everyone seems to spend a lot of time beading. As a designer, I feel like I should be beading ever day.… Read More

Can you hold on one more day?

This weekend did not go as planned by me. Mainly because I am SO tired lately! In an effort to switch things up and try to sleep on a more regular schedule I’m working on trying to go to bed between midnight and 1am, and then sleeping until 9-10am.… Read More

The Story Behind: Forever Tango

That blog post title sounds like a VH1 Special, doesn’t it?

First up for our walk through the projects included in my upcoming book, Jill Wiseman’s Beautiful Beaded Ropes, is a sleek little bracelet I named Forever Tango.

About the time I signed the contract to write the book, I was out shopping and found a cheap (bad quality) costume bracelet that had a really interesting intertwined rope.… Read More

Is it time yet???

It’s so VERY VERY close to the moment where my little book springs into the world, and I finally get to start seeing what y’all think of the projects it contains. I’ve gotten some feedback over the last few months while I’ve been able to privately show some friends and customers as proofs and then my one hard copy came in, which has been so exciting – like showing off my newborn baby!… Read More

Duh, Jill

I just had my second DUH moment of the day.

When I don’t leave the house all day, I rarely bother to wear my contact lenses. Instead I just work with my ratty old glasses which are not fashionable, but are functional.… Read More

Daily Beading

I think I probably do a lot less beading than y’all think. When I have something to design, it tends to be a focused short-term do it and get it done type of thing. Which is really a big shame! And so despite (and because of) my insane designing schedule for the rest of the year, I decided tonight that I am going to make a commitment to do a lot more beading – sometimes just to do it.… Read More

FREE projects from my book!

I’m not really sure where the last month went. I spent a lot of time designing. A lot of time planning and scheming on things you’ll get to find out about this fall. Playing with our new puppy. Yep! New puppy!… Read More

NOT the Bead & Button 2012 Report

Wednesday afternoon I sat and wrote a lovely, poetic, fascinating post about the Bead & Button Show, which I know y’all are waiting to hear about. And then this little bitty <thisbigthunderstorm moved through my area – and even though I’d been conscientiously saving my blog post as I went along, the storm caused my internet connection to freeze – and then – you see it coming, dontcha?… Read More