Worst GABE Pawticipant EVER!

So, I'm finally done with the piece I gave away during GABE!... A YEAR AGO! Holy Carp Batman! I bet I'm banned this year!

I've been a bundle of excuses in finishing this piece... but it's been a traumatic year OK? I guess I shouldn't have done such an elaborate piece but... I had NO IDEA it would take this long!

I wanted to offer something different on this site and I was honestly thinking I would add these custom photo pieces to my fused glass line. But let's just take a look at what took me so long:

• The first one isn't all my fault...my winner took a few months to get me a photo.
• By May, my computer had died! My old laptop did not have enough memory to deal with the big files I had. 
• By the time I could afford a new big beastie, I was getting ready for a bead show and my kiln couldn't spare the 15 hours it would take to make this piece. 
• I got the photos sized and was all ready to print them on the decal paper...when another nightmare started. I was told to look for a type of printer...I called every print shop in town. I searched high and low every spare moment for weeks! I finally gave up and called the manufacturer. They told me it was a DESKTOP PRINTER!!! OMD! 
• It took me another month to find someone with the right  printer. I got them printed and fused onto the glass lickety split.
• I wrote the winner just before Christmas to ask her favorite color and verify her address. I fused the photo piece to a blue background... We're moving NOW! 
• And since Christmas, I've spent every spare minute looking for my bails! I've cleaned out the shop, all my jewelry tools, my teaching supplies... the bails were nowhere. 
• And I got a job... Another five weeks gone.
• My job ended and I was teaching fusing... I HAD TO HAVE BAILS! I searched and searched and realized all my files from fusing were gone. I think they were all stolen. Another $126 bucks to replace the bails and more for the files just in time for class. But...the happy accident part of this: I got some sterling PUPPY PAW bails! (Forgot to take a pic of the back! But I found one on Amazon... see ad below!)

Anyway, my little package is finally leaving for the Philippines tomorrow....Barring that I don't have a massive envelope disaster or tape shortage or lose my way to the post office! Geez...what a loser! 

Gone to the Dogs

I feel like my blog has gone to the dogs.  Yes, it's true my dog is a HUGE part of my life. We are together 24/7 most days. And there are often times it feels like she is the only good and true thing in my life.  It's only natural to write about that...it is what I know.

But there are times, I just want to write about something else.  And I feel like I can't. Or I shouldn't.

It's all GABE's Fault - (mostly?)

Back in April, I participated in the Global Animal Blogging Event - GABE. Until then, I had been blogging along on what ever topic suited my fancy. I had some regular readers over the years but their comments had tapered off.. Suddenly after GABE, I had a whole bunch of new followers and folks leaving comments - which I loved. But the majority of them are dog bloggers...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Just a Comment Junkie

Yes, I will confess, I am a comment junkie. I love feedback. Which surprises me... ALOT!  I heard on the news the other day that the average human requires seven hours of human contact a day. I find this astounding! Seven whole HOURS!  I need like seven minutes and there are days when that's too much! I seriously think the only reason I tolerate my friends is that all of them have IQs in high 140s.

I am happiest when I'm working in the shop, prepping orders, listening to my ipod and talking to Mabel.  I can spend days / weeks on end like this with only an occasional customer to talk to and phone calls from my closest friends.

But let a blog go without a comment and I'm devastated.

Feeding the Beast

I'm torn over what I should do about it. Do I start yet another blog? I'm already overwhelmed with my bead blog (published M-Th), my duties overseeing the Fire Divas Blog and coming up with new ideas for it; I have a writing blog, where I store my favorite published pieces. I use that mostly for easy links when job-hunting.

I have two other blogs simply for SEO experimentation. I started them when i realized I was THISCLOSE to getting my first ever google paycheck.

While I'm never going to get rich off of this, every little bit helps! And I have still another bead blog I'm hoping to develop!

Needless to say, finding time to launch another blog to do what this one used to do feels pointless.

Do I keep plodding along here and risk "chasing away" the dog folks? Do I find a way to start another new venture?


No answers; just questions.

On Life Support

My big old desktop beast of a computer is on life support and death is imminent. She's had a good run and I've suspected for some time she was on her last leg. I just LOVE how all these expensive repairs hit at the worst financial time.

I do have a laptop but it's mostly used for business bookkeeping. It's NOT fast and I can't edit photos on it... So, I will be invisible for a bit.

I've got much to share... Can't wait to tell you about my other Gabe prizes and the one I'm making... but need a bigger computer for! UGH!

I would love to share my Friday with you. Check out Twinkie's blog... I was there! I'm very proud of my dog boy!

In the meantime, the little Creekhiker and I are still on the trails...

GABE Winner!

Welp, Twinkie's Global Animal Blogging Event a/k/a has come to an end. We've met lots of new furiends and picked up some new followers and found lots of new blogs to follow. Wow!

The winner of our prize is Piappies World! Since this is a custom pendant, it will be a few weeks before you will get to see it but here's the description from my GABE announcement:




I am a glass artist, working mostly in torched beads (oops! We are moving servers and that site is down!) and memorial beads containing the ashes of loved ones, however, I fuse from time to time. These art glass pendants were made with actual photos! That's family up on the left. The top right is one of our hiking buddies, Sue. And below... my regulars will recognize as the first Creekhiker logo. The winner of my drawing will receive a custom glass piece with their critter's photo fused in. Please know that this is a custom piece and will take a little time to finish and YOU will have to send me a high quality, high contrast photo of your pet.


This has been a lot of fun and I can't wait til GABE comes around next year!

Creekhiker - Global Animal Blogging Event

Hello Animal Lovers! I'm inviting you to go on a fantastic tour with me through some of the best animal blogs on the net! Mabel Lou's beloved pal Twinkie is hosting this event, nicknamed "GABE," over on her blog and you will find links to all the participating sites there. Not only will you meet lots of other animal lovers along the way, there are PRIZES involved!!! Whooo Hooo!

UPDATE 4/1: Here is the page with all the other blog links on it!!!

To win a prize, all you have to do is comment and BE SURE to leave me a way to contact you. Either leave your email or have an "email me" button on your blog... NO exceptions!

Now, here's what you are playing for on the Creekhiker site:


I am a glass artist, working mostly in torched beads (oops! We are moving servers and that site is down!) and memorial beads containing the ashes of loved ones, however, I fuse from time to time. These art glass pendants were made with actual photos! That's family up on the left. The top right is one of our hiking buddies, Sue. And below... my regulars will recognize as the first Creekhiker logo. The winner of my drawing will receive a custom glass piece with their critter's photo fused in. Please know that this is a custom piece and will take a little time to finish and YOU will have to send me a high quality, high contrast photo of your pet.

About the Creekhiker blog: Creekhiker is my blog about life with my "rotten-weiler," Mabel Lou, in the foothills of Southern California. The people we meet and the beauty we encounter on our daily hikes are often featured here. I hope you'll come back and visit again.

Don't forget to check out Twinkie's blog on April 1 and meet some new animal lovers and good luck with all those fabulous prizes!