2011 was a strange year. Not much really changed in my everyday life. I kept the same architectural design job I've had for 11 years, my husband stayed at the same motion graphics company, the kids shifted from junior high to high school, but activities and schedule remained pretty much consistent.

But within all the routine, there have been a few shifts that have had bigger effects on my life. I'm not a resolution-type person, but I think especially when things seem to be running fairly smoothly, it's important to step back and take a look at lessons learned to see how those can inform future decisions.

Things I learned in 2011:

• Taking care of yourself is hard. You would think focusing on yourself would be the easiest thing in the world, and for many other people, perhaps it is. But I'm not talking here about being self-absorbed, I'm looking at doing what's best for you. As a mom and wife as well as a small business owner and employee, my time is seriously divided into tiny pieces. Between the day job and running around for the kids, there is only a small chunk of time left for me. Last year I focused on diet and sleep, and was sometimes successful, often not. The diet side was much easier for me than ensuring a full night's sleep, so that's one thing I need to work on. There's not much you can do with conflicting schedules, but a little preparation and organization will certainly help, and making good sleep a priority should go a long way.

• I'm a blogger. Although I have had a blog for a few years now on a few different platforms, I have never been very consistent with it, and thus never considered myself a blogger. But I have been guest blogging for a couple of years now for papernstitch, and I love it. And it was pointed out to me by the lovely Linda Demers of à la mode that guest blogging makes me a blogger too. I like the writing process (once I can get myself to sit down and do it,) and I love curating images and ideas. I always enjoyed writing in school, and have only now come to the realization that it is one of those endeavors that I both enjoy and do well, an endeavor that definitely needs to be pursued.

• Paleo is the way to go. For me, at least. I changed my diet in April of 2011, and have never looked back. Focusing on whole, real food has made a difference both in my health and our household. I lost 60 pounds, became fitter and more focused. It was an easy transition for me, all except my Starbucks addiction. One of my daughters has made the journey along with me, and my mom has pretty much kicked Type 2 diabetes following the same plan. This also means that I'm cooking more at home, which is better for the whole family. Certainly better than the loads of fast food that we were eating, and I can get my girls to help with food prep and cooking as well. I'm definitely planning to stay on this track!

• I get sick easily when I don't eat well. Starbucks addiction aside, the two times near the end of the year that I didn't eat well, meaning WAY too much sugar, I got sick. I had been able to fend off all incoming colds and bugs up until that time, with perhaps a tickle in my throat that disappeared or getting a little tired. Add to that a small lack of sleep, and it's a recipe for disaster. Best to keep things on an even keel.

• Although my patience has increased, my need to use it has increased beyond my capabilities. Being a mom of twin freshman girls is a trial and tribulation that is beyond comprehension. As they are at once the most wonderful kids and the most horrible monsters, my improvements in the patience arena seem to always be eclipsed by their ability to try it. My assumption is that this will continue to be the norm, and I will suck it up for another 3 and a half years until they go off to college.

• I am that sports mom. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be the mom screaming from the sidelines at every game, but I am. Luckily, although the refs might disagree, I am not an angry mom, but love watching my kids perform to the best of their abilities. I'm the team mom, booster club board member, and proudly wear my shirt proclaiming my support for either high school or club teams. And I'm going to miss that when the kids go to college and I won't always be able to be there.

Where does that leave me for 2012? Pretty much doing the same thing I have been, but tweaking a little here and there (more sleep, more writing, less sugar) to enhance what is a pretty great life already.

This post is a reprint of a post from July 2008, but it explains a little bit about my work and my evolution as a glass artist.

When you pick up a hobby such as lampworking, one that has many learning areas (safety, materials, process, tools) and has to be done with focused and complete attention, there is a much different learning curve from many other crafts. Unlike a hobby like scrapbooking or stamping, without a basic foundational knowledge, you can’t really start to explore your own vision. Without knowing how to work with gravity and tools, you can’t begin to translate ideas inside your head into glass. Without knowing the different properties of glass, e.g., the viscosity of opaques vs. transparents or the methods for reducing silver glass to get metallic effects, it’s hard to get where you want to go. And although lampworking is relatively safe, you are working with glass that can cut and that gives off fumes, a flame that reaches between 1500 to 2000 degrees F, and a kiln that rests at about 960 degrees F, so basic safety knowledge is imperative to prevent accidents. So it is natural that the beginning of a lampwork hobby or career is filled with learning the basics - getting the glass wound around a mandrel, keeping it warm but not to hot, learning basic shaping, and exploring the many different kinds of glass and how they work together. Most of us begin with a basic round(ish) bead, usually a wonky-shaped donut. Soon we are following instructor suggestions for glass combinations, or are copying beads we have seen in books, or following tutorials we have found on the internet. This is a pretty standard progression, and all along the way, we are proud of the beads we have made, often not realizing how much improvement we make as we ‘practice, practice, practice’.

At some point, usually many along the way, we come across something that really speaks to us. And we use that excitement to refine our work focus, either really working on a specific shape and trying to perfect that, or really exploring specific glass combinations that really seem to speak to us. Of course, there are many of us that continue to dabble in all areas: a bicone here, a floral there, picking up any and all techniques and trying them all on for size. My first inspiration was the long bead: I loved (and still do) the attenuated form, both tube and tapered barrel. And I was going to spend forever making long beads. Then I found the wonderful world of the Pandora-style bead with the added finish of silver coring..., and spent many a month making these all the time...but nothing quite compares to the excitement and possibility that my first droplet beads opened up to me.

My first droplets were a pretty big hit. I had found something that combined my glasswork with my innate modern and minimalist bent. They were full of subtle color, simple forms, layering of glass, and the idea that a piece did not need to be a single bead, but could be a combination of beads to accomplish one vision. Although I have had many people buy these as beads alone, or have made requests for specific colors to place within a jewelry piece, I have also had many customers request the set as shown, intending to wear them as I envisioned. 

The interesting thing that happens as I have begun to explore this more modern lampworking direction is that in attempting to create a focused, overall style for my work and my Etsy shop is that many of the beads that I had so proudly listed no longer fit within the long-term vision I have for my work. They are all perfectly fine, and I am still proud of them, but am almost loathe to keep them in my shop, as I feel they detract from my current focus. In a way, it’s similar to growing out a haircut: there is that uncomfortable period where your hair is neither here nor there and you just can’t wait until it grows out ‘enough’. Hopefully ‘enough’ will come sooner rather than later!

But relaunching a website or reorganizing your business is a bit like giving birth. There's the initial conception (when I realized that my old site wouldn't hold up on the iPad,) gestation (pondering which route to go to achieve the best results and working out all the logistics - getting images uploaded, deciding on the final look,) and birth (the launch, with minor complications and pains as there often is, in my case, working out some conflicting DNS zone issues.) 

But finally, the new little one has arrived! I am thrilled with the aesthetics, layout, features and ease of use of my new website, and hope you are as well. Please stop by and take a look, and I'd love to hear any comments you have!

FormFire Glassworks

I will be participating in my first 'trunk show' this weekend at Brea Bead Works. I am at once excited and nervous as anything. Scott and Wendy at the store have been great to me, and I truly appreciate that they asked me to show there for the weekend. I'm just not certain that the focal points of my work will be of great interest there, as most of the people going to the store are interested in making their own jewelry. So I will be pulling out a lot of loose beads in more traditional styles as well as loose discs for sale for them to use in their own creations.

Sitting at a show for a couple days is not something I'm really used to. Being 'on' for hours on end is exhausting (at least it is for me,) and I imagine this weekend will really wipe me out. Hopefully I'll get a little help from my girls, which at the least gives me a gopher to help me out while I man the table, and at best, a convincing salesgirl.

Please feel free to stop by if you are in the area. The shop (and I) will be open Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 12-5.