I have no excuse. Wait! Yes, I do!

My alter ego is The Good Luck Duck, and The Ducks have been hittin' the road.  My bench stays in travel mode until we park somewhere long enough for me to relax and work.  [Relax and work:  not always an oxymoron!]  Thanks to Dragonfly for poking.

Sand 'n' Surf

Pay no attention to Labor Day - there is a LOT of time for Sand and Surf.

What are your bench projects, now that we are past the Dog Days of Summer?

Giveaway!

Check out The Beading Gem's giveaway this week! $50 toward finished pieces or components at ORRTEC.

Melinda at ORRTEC works with patinas, and has generously created a free tutorial for DIY brass patinas using simple household items. Check out her blog!

Thanks for beautiful freebies, you two!

I've been featured!

Mariana, of LivingAtNight Jewelry Design, has written a lovely article about Eight Cat Design (that's me!). The kind things she says about my work are a special honor, because she is a true artist and her pieces are amazing.

So, go read her article (in English or in Spanish!), then head over to see her Etsy shop. We have learned to live on compliments - they sauté up nicely with recognition and garlic - so leave her some well-earned praise for her artistry while you're there.

Feature!

I was featured in Surviving the Etsy Madness! Very cool.

Don't click through yet!

I accept that no one is reading here yet, Self, so enjoy the soliloquy ... tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Was there a moment, or a period, when you could say Now I'm an Artist™! ? Was it the day you received your MFA, or the time you made your first sale? Was it when you finally mastered that hard technique? Fired your first bead? The first time your mom wore the macaroni necklace?

This won't be an essay since I don't have my own answer, but I'm guessing a lot of artists don't think of themselves as artists because the boundary of the idea is invisible and moving all the time. If you're wandering through, tell me what you think.

Eight Cat Design on Etsy

A distraction.

My mom wants to get rid of her vintage Avon collection, and I've agreed to list some of it in my shop. I don't know anything about Avon. Skin-So-Soft repels mosquitoes ... and that's my store of knowledge. If you have any suggestions for me, this is the time to speak! Tomorrow is fine, too. Go ahead and speak next week, if that works for you.