I have accomplished one major task though -- I went through all my beads and reorganized them. Moved new drawers into the front room, moved other stuff out. Unstrung and unpackaged a hoard of beads that is nothing short of disgraceful. I don't think there is a bead that exists in the world that isn't in my house right now. As I filled little plastic souffle cups and clipped on the lids, literally hundreds of times, I realized there is no need for me to bring any more home unless they are a specific color or type needed for a specific project. Stone, metals, glass. Chips, nuggets, chunks. Rocaille, bugle, and more. Pearls. Wood. Bone. You name it, its in there. At least now I know pretty much where it is and can access it when it is needed without having to troll through drawers overstuffed with disorganized containers. The card catalog is again organized by type and color, as are the other drawer units around the room. This is a big project that I dread doing and at least THIS got done this weekend! The Virgo's byline is "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," meaning focusing on doing an unimportant chore really well while there are more obvious things that need doing. I am such a Virgo!
Hapi goes to the vet at Angell tomorrow - finally. He is now talking away, being his cheerful self, oblivious to the upcoming adventure. I hope I learn something new about his condition. I did learn something new about him this week, though -- he has developed an intense hatred of phones. I made the mistake of not paying full attention to him when getting him out for dinner, and it resulted in a full-on attack. He flew into my face with such speed and force I think I might have gotten a concussion (hence the sleeping? Hmmm....) He bit my face above the eye and clung on until I batted him away. It was an aggressive move on his part, and I was shocked. A good reminder that these feathered kids are still truly wild. He immediately said "Bad bird, naughty, Nooo bite! Bad bird." so he knows he did wrong, but the incident has made me a bit nervous around him, which isn't a good thing. With time it will go back to normal.
And today is my dear Kizzy's 7th birthday! Not that he knows. Will have to do something special for him today. I bought him a bag of walnuts last week and he is enjoying them. He is such a good natured bird who is so easily amused. It has been a rewarding seven years with this little big guy! I love him so, so much and he brings sunshine on cloudy days. My big tropical chicken.
On the art front, I am working on the small pieces that are fun and challenging. So happy to have the beads organized -- will be a time saver in the long run. These little pot pieces are going through several steps: paper collage > digital manipulation > image printing > stamping/painting > quilting > embroidered elements > beading > finishing. What looks like a simple piece at first actually represents an involved and layered process. I want to make a video showing the work that goes into one of these puppies. While I don't want to overcharge for my artwork, ever, I do think if people knew about the time that goes into each piece and why, a reasonable price would not seem excessive. It isn't just a "print" that can be reproduced on demand -- every one is different and develops in a unique direction, like a watercolor painting. That has been covered in beads and threads!
The goal today is to get needed tasks done early so I can dedicate some time to these little pieces today, too.
A to-do list as long as my arm needs attending first, though, so here's to getting going. It is 10:00 already. I haven't been this late in getting going since...well...yesterday. But before that, it has to be months. Onward!