There was ice on the roads here overnight. Mainly on the overpasses, but still not fun out there. Rush hour this morning was a disaster on the roads. I don't know how people deal with ice & snow all the time. It didn’t get down to freezing here at the house thankfully. I made a homemade potato soup last night to keep us warm Yum!
Yay! I got lots of beading done today. I am so close to being done with this one piece that I started over the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m ready for it to be completed so I can move on to the next project. I’ll post pictures once I give it to Mom.
Mom signed us up for our classes for Bead & Button in June. We are both taking a polymer clay class and a metalworking class. We’ll also be attending the Meet the Teachers evening and Lampworking Madness. It is going to be so much fun. Hopefully we’ll still have plenty of time for shopping.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
On Friday we had an organizational meeting for our upcoming Graphic III event in April benefiting the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas. The preparations are coming along great and this is going to turn out to be a fantastic night! We’re in the process of sending out requests for sponsorships, art bras by famous people and cool artsy items for our silent and live auctions. So, if you’re a famous person reading my blog feel free to contact me to donate :)
Saturday I went to the Austin Bead Jamboree. I got to see one of my friends in my beading group that I haven’t seen in months. I also got to visit with on of my favorite Lampworkers, Michelle Waldren. She does beautiful work and you can click here to see her items! Here are a couple beads she made that I bought a several years ago.
Saturday I went to the Austin Bead Jamboree. I got to see one of my friends in my beading group that I haven’t seen in months. I also got to visit with on of my favorite Lampworkers, Michelle Waldren. She does beautiful work and you can click here to see her items! Here are a couple beads she made that I bought a several years ago.
Of course the pictures don’t do justice to the brilliant colors and details.
It’s a gross day outside. It’s cold and been spitting outside all day. I wish it would either really rain or quit completely and let the sun come out for a while. I’m off to do more beading and rack my brain for an art bra idea myself!
It’s a gross day outside. It’s cold and been spitting outside all day. I wish it would either really rain or quit completely and let the sun come out for a while. I’m off to do more beading and rack my brain for an art bra idea myself!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Today has been a good day. I’ve had a productive day in the studio finally. It was 27 degrees out this morning when I woke up so I ran out to the studio to turn on the heaters. Well, this afternoon it has gotten up to 80 degrees so now the studio is HOT! I’m just happy to be beading again. I had a rocky start though with the wrong colored bead in my project! I had to cut apart this piece I’ve been working on for so long. I just kept thinking of all the time I spent just being thrown away! Oh well, I got it fixed and am now moving forward. I need to finish this project though so I can start on some of the other million in my head!
Mom and I are perusing the class schedule for Bead & Button this year. We’re looking at some classes where we could learn something new that would be hard to learn without taking a class. I can’t wait and it’s going to be so much fun. Mom’s worried though that we won’t have enough time for shopping it we spend too much time in classes! I’m sure we can manage. The first year before we went, she wondered what we were going to do there for 4 days and we ended up running around like crazy the last hour before it closed to finish our shopping! That was a few years ago and we’re getting it down to a science :)
I posted some pictures of our little guy on another forum today and realized that I don’t have any on my blog yet so here you go!
Mom and I are perusing the class schedule for Bead & Button this year. We’re looking at some classes where we could learn something new that would be hard to learn without taking a class. I can’t wait and it’s going to be so much fun. Mom’s worried though that we won’t have enough time for shopping it we spend too much time in classes! I’m sure we can manage. The first year before we went, she wondered what we were going to do there for 4 days and we ended up running around like crazy the last hour before it closed to finish our shopping! That was a few years ago and we’re getting it down to a science :)
I posted some pictures of our little guy on another forum today and realized that I don’t have any on my blog yet so here you go!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Like usual, I waited until the last minute to finish something before a deadline. I have sales taxes due tomorrow for 3 businesses. Yay! Oh yeah, Ken wants me to do his for him too. As you can see, I’m making blog entries instead of figuring my taxes :)
I’m hoping to get in some beading time today too. I’m in the middle of a huge project that I just can’t wait to finish. I can’t share much yet because it was supposed to be a Christmas present for my mom, which I just didn’t finish in time. My mom reads this blog so I don’t want to spoil it for her! Hopefully I’ll be able to post pictures in the next week or two. And yes, the pattern will be for sale!
My allergies are still killing me. Okay, I’m off to take more meds and get started on my taxes finally! I think I’ve wasted enough time :)
I’m hoping to get in some beading time today too. I’m in the middle of a huge project that I just can’t wait to finish. I can’t share much yet because it was supposed to be a Christmas present for my mom, which I just didn’t finish in time. My mom reads this blog so I don’t want to spoil it for her! Hopefully I’ll be able to post pictures in the next week or two. And yes, the pattern will be for sale!
My allergies are still killing me. Okay, I’m off to take more meds and get started on my taxes finally! I think I’ve wasted enough time :)
Friday, January 16, 2009
Calendar Signing
Yay! Wednesday night was a great success. The Pink Ribbon Cowgirls had a signing of our 2009 Art Bra Calendar at Zax Pints & Plates, a local restaurant/bar. We had about 10 models there to autograph the calendars as they were flying out the door! We sold more this night than at any of the other signing events.
Click here to order your own calendar before they’re all gone!
Click here to order your own calendar before they’re all gone!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Studio
Lately, I’ve been trying to get my studio in order. We live in a rather small place and have 4 different businesses that we run from home. Last year we invested in a 12’ x 20’ portable building.
Here are some pictures of the studio going up ~~
Ken spent the majority of last year finishing out the building with cable, electricity, water, insulation, sheet rock, etc. I love it! It’s not quite 100% finished yet, but usable finally. Of course it now seems so small! I still have tons of stuff that I need to move in there and find places for everything. One of these days I’ll get organized. Yeah, right.
In October, the studio was probably about 85% ready to move in when I was asked to do an interview with our local news station. They wanted to hear from a breast cancer survivor about the ongoing fear of getting cancer again. I agreed to do the interview and found out on Monday that they wanted to come to my house at 9 am Tuesday for the interview! Umm, okay. We ran around like crazy getting the furniture and shelving, etc. to make the studio look like that’s where I’ve been working everyday (and not the sofa). So, the studio was furnished overnight and here it is ~~
I still need to find more efficient storage for things and figure out what works where. I have a corner picked out for my lampworking one of these days!
Here are some pictures of the studio going up ~~
Ken spent the majority of last year finishing out the building with cable, electricity, water, insulation, sheet rock, etc. I love it! It’s not quite 100% finished yet, but usable finally. Of course it now seems so small! I still have tons of stuff that I need to move in there and find places for everything. One of these days I’ll get organized. Yeah, right.
In October, the studio was probably about 85% ready to move in when I was asked to do an interview with our local news station. They wanted to hear from a breast cancer survivor about the ongoing fear of getting cancer again. I agreed to do the interview and found out on Monday that they wanted to come to my house at 9 am Tuesday for the interview! Umm, okay. We ran around like crazy getting the furniture and shelving, etc. to make the studio look like that’s where I’ve been working everyday (and not the sofa). So, the studio was furnished overnight and here it is ~~
I still need to find more efficient storage for things and figure out what works where. I have a corner picked out for my lampworking one of these days!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
I have been absolutely miserable this past week! The cedar pollen counts around here have been in the medium to high range for about a week now. A couple years ago I went to the doctor to get tested for allergies. It turns out that I am allergic to just about everything! I started going in for shots twice a week and gradually my allergies were better. Once I had my mastectomy and started chemo though, I had to stop the shots due to chance of infection. Oddly enough, my allergies weren’t so bad after chemo until about 6 months ago. They are back and with a vengeance! The allergy shots weren’t cheap a few years ago and I had better insurance then so I’m just dealing with the itchy eyes and sneezing with over the counter meds. Hopefully it will be a short cedar season this year! Keeping my finger crossed!
I’ve come up with an idea for this year’s art bra that I need to get started on right away. I don’t want to freak out at the last minute trying to get the bra finished like I did last year. I’m also going to see if I have time to create a unique piece to donate for our silent auction. Last year I designed and made a dramatic bracelet in peyote. Here’s a picture….
Well, I’m off to take more allergy medicine that will probably put me to sleep. I’ll keep everyone updated on my art bra progress!
I’ve come up with an idea for this year’s art bra that I need to get started on right away. I don’t want to freak out at the last minute trying to get the bra finished like I did last year. I’m also going to see if I have time to create a unique piece to donate for our silent auction. Last year I designed and made a dramatic bracelet in peyote. Here’s a picture….
Well, I’m off to take more allergy medicine that will probably put me to sleep. I’ll keep everyone updated on my art bra progress!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The End of A Season
I should say, the end of the college football season. Our beloved Texas Longhorns pulled it off again! They beat Ohio State last night 24-21 to win the Fiesta Bowl with a touchdown in the last 16 seconds. It was a really good game and very close. I always prefer if the Longhorns run away with the game, but at least they won.
It’s time for me start thinking about my art bra for this year. I’m part of a local support group for young breast cancer survivors called The Pink Ribbon Cowgirls. In the spring, we have a huge benefit called Graphic and this will be our third year. People from all over donate bras they’ve designed, embellished, painted, beaded, sculpted, etc. for our benefit. We have a fashion show with about 20 young breast cancer survivors modeling some of the bras that will then be part of a live auction. I was a model last year and it was such an amazing experience! I thought I’d be nervous walking around in front of hundreds of people in a bra, but luckily my piece was a corset so everything was hidden! Throughout the night we have other bras and art available for silent auction. We also have a professional photo shoot with the models in bras and put together a calendar that we sell toward the end of the year.
Here are a couple pictures of last year's bra....
Anyway, I’m hoping to shed about 30 pounds (wishful thinking) and be ready to model whatever interesting bra I can come up with this year. Thankfully I have my Wii Fit to help me get in shape this year! I’ve actually been working out with the Wii just about everyday this year. Oh yeah, I’ll have to change my diet and all of that other stuff too!
It’s time for me start thinking about my art bra for this year. I’m part of a local support group for young breast cancer survivors called The Pink Ribbon Cowgirls. In the spring, we have a huge benefit called Graphic and this will be our third year. People from all over donate bras they’ve designed, embellished, painted, beaded, sculpted, etc. for our benefit. We have a fashion show with about 20 young breast cancer survivors modeling some of the bras that will then be part of a live auction. I was a model last year and it was such an amazing experience! I thought I’d be nervous walking around in front of hundreds of people in a bra, but luckily my piece was a corset so everything was hidden! Throughout the night we have other bras and art available for silent auction. We also have a professional photo shoot with the models in bras and put together a calendar that we sell toward the end of the year.
Here are a couple pictures of last year's bra....
Anyway, I’m hoping to shed about 30 pounds (wishful thinking) and be ready to model whatever interesting bra I can come up with this year. Thankfully I have my Wii Fit to help me get in shape this year! I’ve actually been working out with the Wii just about everyday this year. Oh yeah, I’ll have to change my diet and all of that other stuff too!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Intro
Hi! Welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting!
This is my first post (obviously) so I thought I’d start off sharing a little about myself. My name is Kim and I live in Austin, TX with my fiancé Ken and our dog Cabo. We live by Lake Austin and enjoy spending time outside and on the water. I grew up in Houston where my parents still live. I’m very close with my family. My sister lives in Houston as well, with her husband and 2 kids.
I am a two-time cancer survivor. I had Hodgkin’s Disease when I was 16, and then was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30.
While undergoing chemo for the breast cancer in 2005, I taught myself beading and made breast cancer awareness jewelry. I was really sick from the chemo so my employer of 7 years terminated me since I wasn’t able to come in to work. I turned my beading into a full time business and started a company called MissBerly’s Designs.
In early 2007, we acquired a company called Assistwear. We provide post-surgical garments for women to heal with dignity after breast and/or abdominal surgeries.
I’ve also fallen in love with bead weaving, especially Herringbone and peyote stitches. I've been making all my non breast cancer awareness items under the name Hill Country Collection. I’m amazed at being able to design a pattern of my own on the computer and then be able to make it with just beads, thread and a needle. I’ll be sharing more of those designs here on my blog.
Stay tuned!
This is my first post (obviously) so I thought I’d start off sharing a little about myself. My name is Kim and I live in Austin, TX with my fiancé Ken and our dog Cabo. We live by Lake Austin and enjoy spending time outside and on the water. I grew up in Houston where my parents still live. I’m very close with my family. My sister lives in Houston as well, with her husband and 2 kids.
I am a two-time cancer survivor. I had Hodgkin’s Disease when I was 16, and then was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30.
While undergoing chemo for the breast cancer in 2005, I taught myself beading and made breast cancer awareness jewelry. I was really sick from the chemo so my employer of 7 years terminated me since I wasn’t able to come in to work. I turned my beading into a full time business and started a company called MissBerly’s Designs.
In early 2007, we acquired a company called Assistwear. We provide post-surgical garments for women to heal with dignity after breast and/or abdominal surgeries.
I’ve also fallen in love with bead weaving, especially Herringbone and peyote stitches. I've been making all my non breast cancer awareness items under the name Hill Country Collection. I’m amazed at being able to design a pattern of my own on the computer and then be able to make it with just beads, thread and a needle. I’ll be sharing more of those designs here on my blog.
Stay tuned!
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