Stars in my Eyes...

I have mixed feelings about my postman...

He delivered my tax return a couple of days ago and it's been sitting on my worktable to remind me to block out some time to tackle it. I'd only been in business a matter of weeks last time around so this one is going to be a lot more involved. And of course, I have all my paper work in order - not. But then this morning he arrived with a box choc full of goodies from the lovely Karen Totten of Starry Road Studio and all was forgiven.

I was beside myself with glee going through this mother load with design ideas flashing through my head as I picked up each gorgeous piece. Karen and I have become 'virtual' friends in recent months and it's because of her and the other talented ceramic artists I've met online that I've added ceramics to my bead stash and started pushing my designs in new directions. And it's even better knowing that these came from a lovely and very witty lady too. We share a passion for earthy organic textures and glazes but Karen also mixes it up with the most glorious and vibrant colours - there's not one item here I am even vaguely ambivalent about - thank you Karen I love the lot!

Karen is a member of the Beads of Clay professional artists team of which incidentally, I am very proud to say I am now a design partner. I'm really looking forward to working on challenges with the team members so keep your eyes peeled for news of those. She is also a founder member of the new team blog Art Jewelry Elements so if you want to get an insight into the work of Karen and the other team members, sign up to follow now. Oh, and Karen's pottery is not limited to jewellery so be sure to check out her shop for more great pieces.

Of course there has to be a down side...I'm now completely distracted from today's task to clear up the house which always gets neglected the week before I do a big THEA too shop update. But just a few hours won't make a difference will it...:0)

Happy beading people!


Lesley