LOVE TO BEAD - LOVE TO BITCH

A Tisket a Tassel

2011-07-11T17:39:00.002-04:00

Hi all,

Hot,hot,hot - just like the song! 40 degress on the humidex and rising. How come they never wrote a song humid, humid, humid - cuz it's not very sexy-sounding I guess. But I'm not complaining since it's better than snow. All Quebers say that so we don't sound like we are ALWAYS whining and complaining about the weather.

Anywhoooo what's new around these parts - just had the U2 concert this past weekend and I live not too far away from the site and was able to hear the whole thing. Actually I was sitting on the throne thinking 'here I am sitting on the toilette (say it with a french accent, it sounds less vulgar for some reason) and I am listening to BONO' LIVE! When will that ever happen again in my lifetime. Probably never. Where did the name BONO come from anyway? ( I always think of Boner when I hear it - a little to close for comfort if you ask me.)

I fell in love - yep - with trims, tassels and fringe! It seems to satisfy my creative urges for color and versatility. You can glue it on anything. We have made great tassels with toppers, keychains, lampshades, purses, pillows, bench covers, kleenex box holders and jewellery.
We now have an armoir full of the stuff and my head constantly whirls with the possibilites.

And yes, I have mastered the glue gun. I have lived in fear of the thing for years (neurotic) and finally bit the bullet and purchased the "BIG" one. My cousin Rhoda issued dire warnings about buring down the house with the 'damn thing' (direct quote) but I figured if children can do this so could I. Also, if you can leave something like that on for two hours how dangerous can it be.

I love that sucker - no really - I do, Even when I burnt my thumb twice yesterday and had to peel off layers of the glue along with some skin, my glue gun enthusiasm was not dampened. It helped me miraculously transform a drab lampshade into a thing of glory within minutes.
I have posted some pictures of a few of our latest creations, along with an ugly wood table I repainted.

We have just posted our latest pandora-style beads onto the site - what beauties. Gorgeous glass beads (lined in sterling) in great colors for the summer - as well as animal prints in browns and blacks. Of course animal print has no season, they are timeless!!!!! Visit the site to check them out at www.beadandsave.com. Just go to Pandoras, then New Stuff

We will be opening a new ARTFIRE store called OMGdesigns where we will sell the homemade TOTES, tassels, keychains, jewellery etc etc etc. Look for it soon, as well our original ARTFIRE store where we will be adding new merchandise, especially yummy pandora-style bracelets.

wwwbeadandsave.artfire.com

So that's it for now, hope you enjoy your summer. Please feel free to comment - we love your feedback.

Karen

Sew and Sew

2011-03-09T15:12:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, it's been a while since my last blog. My bad for sure. Don't quite know why it's been so long but time just passes by at an alarming speed. It's kind of like being in a tornado and I am just spinning around and around!

So what has happened over the past few months - eveything and nothing. We had a BIG birthday in December, and while it could have had significant trauma attached to it, I would say we weathered it quite well. I try not to think about it and except for when I look in the mirror I usually don't. Then it hits me like a brick on the head. Ouch. But at least we are healthy and that is pretty much what counts.

Business wise, we have been quite busy and if you visit our site - www.beadandsave.com - you will see our new stock of gorgeous pandora-style beads. Such colors - mauves, greens, pinks, they make you think of spring and warm weather. We have a large selection of crystal beads to compliment the glass beads, and just one or two crystal beads in a bracelet seem to make the whole thing pop! We have opened up a new category under "Pandora" called 'New Stuff" so if you have a hankering - take a look.

I notice that on my last blog I posted a picture of the 'body bag' that I had made. Until now I have not had the time to sew again but the past week or so I have been bitten by the sewing bug and have posted some pictures of my creations. They are considerably smaller and such fun to make. And I get to decorate them with beads!

I can hear the radio in the background and the nasty weather lady is using the 'S' word again. Boy am I sick of that stuff. This morning they just carted away the effects of the last storm which was two days ago and now she is blabbering about more tonight and tomorrow. ENOUGH already, and I mean it. The older you get the less and less you are able to tolerate these cold, snowy winters. I know some of you are reading this from warm climes and I hate you! No just kidding, but I am jealous. This weekend we move the clocks ahead so at least it will be light outside later and you really begin to think that Spring is well on its way.

Our friend Pearl 's web site - www.thebeadinggem.com - will be offering a contest to win a gift certificate from our web site this month, so please stay posted. It is a really great site so take a look at it. We will be sending out an e-mail as to the exact date of the contest so stay tuned.

We really love to hear from you so if you have a moment send us your comments.

Size Does Matter

2010-05-08T08:23:00.000-04:00

So the fabric had been lying in a bag for the past two years - at least. I purchased it with the intent of making a small purse, quilting different patches of fabric together to make a masterpiece. I even bought two designer patterns and they lay there with my fabric, waiting patiently, reminding me every time I spied it on the top shelve of my closet (obviously the shelf wasn't high enough).
I guess I wrote that I had a cough, and somehow it was ' a touch of bronchitis' according to the doctor. ( A week later after antibiotics, it has turned into 'post infectious bronchitis and I am now on an inhaler!). So I was feeling a bit peaked and totally strung out (pun intended) on beading. The perfect opportunity. A few months ago, I purchased a NEW purse pattern - EASY - so it said. Now I have been a sewer since I was a teenager however the last few years I admit to sewing very little. So this looked like a piece of cake and right up my alley.
Wrong. First of all, the gorgeous fabrics that I purchased unravelled - you just breathed on it and more threads would fall all over the place. And the fabric was heavy and thus hard to sew, I was barely able to get it under the stitching foot. Not to mention I had to run out to get iron-on interfacing, hoping to give the fabric some stability and even more hopefully, to stop the damn unravelling.
Well two days of hard labor, and aside from machine sewing, I had added a white brick a brack by hand. Topped off by four tassels and voila - a real piece of work. Of course there was one tiny problem - you can fit a body in that bag!!
It looks exactly like what I had hoped for only 4 times larger. I guess I have no sense of size because it gave the measurements somewhere on the package but I paid no attention to it. And it deceptively appeared to be a nornal size on the front of the package. Who knew. Of course Gail said (after it was finished) 'didn't you read the size on the package"?).

This past week we went to the Jewish Public Library to see our Miniature Doll House. It is now the property of the Library and sits in a place of honor in the children's section where it can be enjoyed by all. We donated it in memory of our parents and I think it is a wonderful legacy. After all the hard work of putting it together and decorating it (to scale) we are so happy that it has found a wonderful home.

I guess our blog wouldn't be complete without mention of Gail's latest bug sighting. It happened early one morning while she was brushing her teeth. As she reached for the glass to take out her toothbrush out came a HUGE red spider. I was still lolling abut in bed and heard voices and was wondering who she was talking to and upon further investigation ( 'who are you talking to in the bathroom?') found her traumatized in the bathroom.

We have been busy at work. We have decided to take apart the gorgeous bead sets and sell the beads individually. This is a benefit to our customers as they will be cheaper to purchase as well as giving you the opportunity to buy your favorite beads without buying the whole set. Of course this means adding over 400 new beads onto the site and to say this is labour intensive is putting it mildly.

Aside from all this, things are realtively normal and we are glad spring is here. Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine and rain.

Cough, Cough...enough already

2010-04-26T19:16:00.000-04:00

A 'Boobie" Blog

2010-04-23T19:38:00.000-04:00

OK, I know its been a while but life has been crazy and sometime it feels like I'm just along for the ride. I guess I need a trigger in order to get my creative juices flowing and it happened while I went to take a shower. I shed most of my clothes and went into the bathroom where I proceeded to divest myself of my bra. OMG there was a big red thing inside my bra - kind of like a smartie on steroids. I thrust it away from me and stared. It was a bead - Product no# 00809, a bright cherry red rondelle to be more specific. So now it's not enough that I dream of beads every night, I have to find them in my underwear as well. Even scarier was that I never even felt it in there.

Received a nice gift on Sunday - started with a sore throat and now it is a lovely head cold, but I have certainly had worse so am suffering through it in silence. I am slurping up chicken soup as I sit here and while its not the best I ever had it is better than nothing. I should be right as rain in a couple of days.

Is anyone out there an Idol fan like us. My personal favorite is Crystal but Lee is a very close second. I think that even if Crystal wins they won't be able to take the country out of her, and that's a good thing. She has a certain quality about her that I love. Thank goodness that goofy guy Tim Urban was finally booted off . It was quite the show last night when you think about it. Went from a glitzy production with a 'pea' in a sequined bathing suit prancing around the stage to an African man making coffins. The statistics of the hungry in America are staggering and I doubt that they are any better in Canda.

I'm looking out my window at the beautiful tree ready to blossom and think that it was a year ago when I posted the picture of it in bloom. Actually my landlord had most of it hacked off last year for some reason so I'm hoping it hasn't lost all of its grandeur. So much has happened within a year and yet it seems like yesterday.

We have really met some wonderful people through our business - beaders are an amazing breed, not to mention that everyone loves our finished products. It really is validating and heart warming. Last week while I was having a mamogram, my boob in the vise, the technician noticed my pandi bracelet and just loved it. When I was able to free my boob I gave her my card!

We have made so many new friends from all over and feel blessed. I think that tough times brings out the best in people and many of our customers are starting secondary businesses by designing and selling handmade jewelry.

... So I am into another day with this damn cold - you always forget how awful it is until you get it again. I haven't slept in two nights and feel like a zombie, but think I am now on the upswing. I have been trying to drink hot drinks - something I never do after my morning coffee. That means I need 'danish' to accompany the said hot drink. That is the only cold perk I can think of.

I hope everyone has the chance to enjoy the spring weather and watch out for people carrying germs.

Well, It's About Time!

2010-02-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay, so its been a while since we last posted a blog. We know and we are sorry. Really sorry. Things have been going at a fast pace and it has been hard to find the time to sit down and write - I am now enjoying my morning coffee and brown sugar (fake but yummy) Mini Wheats. I actually pick out the ones with the thicker coating - GROW UP Karen. I once worked with a girl who said she didn't like the ones with the frosting - I guess that's why when she turned sideways you couldn't see her.

Last time we wrote we were getting ready to do a show at the JGH - that was a disaster, but good things come from bad and we then hosted a 'Pandi Party' that went really well. Thanks again Pearl for all your help.
First off, our year-end for the business was December 31st and we had to suffer through 'Inventory HELL'. Enough said about that. We are still suffering from YESS (Year-End Stress Syndrome). January was a really busy month. We have been making new jewelry and accessories. New inventory has arrived - check out our sterling silver chandelier earrings, and our bookmarks which come in two sizes are really fun and make great gifts. Not only that, but you can order the bookmarks and make your own creations - either with beads or Pandies.

Oh those Pandi beads - Yum. Our customers have a great time making up their own jewelry, key chains and pulls. We have received gorgeous Swarovski crystal Pandi beads as well as Fimo beads - these are really fun for the Spring.

So far, I have to say that our winter has been amazingly easy - and our hearts go out to our friends in the US and the rest of the world who have to suffer through horrific weather conditions. Of course, ours could change in a minute and we eagerly wait for spring.

Everyone is enjoying the Olympics - the patriotism and the spirit is contagious. But I can't help but think that while a commentator talks about the hardships an athelete has to live through to get to the podium, what the Haitian people have to endure just to stay alive. Somehow it just makes the 'Olympic Dream' a bit of a joke in comparison to what our fellow human beings are suffering through around the world. And let's not forget the recession. No matter what they say in the media, it has affected us all. But I honestly believe we will grow stonger from this.

One of the nicest things about this business is the people you meet. (Beaders are a quirky lot.) Really nice to be sure, and they all have such interesting personalities. Many of our on-line customers have businesses of their own. I look at this job as sort of an adventure - you never know what each new day will bring!

I guess by now you know that the funny sister is not writing this blog. Where is the sarcasm you say, the negative twist, the biting humor and black outlook? Well, she's in the kitchen!! I will get her here to proof read my commentary and I am sure she will find much to improve upon. See, I just asked her to come into the office - grumpily she answered "in a minute, I am busy". Oh, wait here she comes now. OK, she is busy changing things. I certainly don't want to get her pissed off as she has to post the pictures.

While she is doing her thing, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our friends who have shown such support and confidence in us. We have truly been blessed by your love and your faith in us.

If you like it then you should have put a 'pin' on it....oh oh oh

2009-11-18T09:35:00.002-05:00

Hi all, it's Sissy here. Its been a while since I've written - Gail usually has much more to say than I do!
Well, it has been a week of firsts. Friday I had my first taste of BARIUM. Yum. I knew I was in trouble when I called to make the appointment and spoke to a lady by the name of Danielle. We chatted and I casually asked her if it tasted bad and she said 'Yes'. Somehow I did not fully trust my friend Barbara who said it wasn't so bad and that it actually tasted sweet. OK, sweet is good. You would think Danielle, being in her position would at least lie or say it is not so bad. Nope, she said it was awful. Thinking about this, I prepared my strategy. I would simply drink down the tiny container without tasting it and that would be that. When I went into the X-ray room, the young assistant told me to sit down and explained the procedure, adding that I would have to drink some awful stuff. I sat and there beside me on the table loomed a large plastic glass of a white chalky substance. You can't really classify it as a liquid, not once you pick it up and realize it weighs 5 pounds. Why do they put in a skimpy plastic glass - I was sure it would just spill right out of it. I then thought oh oh,it may hard to just swallow the whole damn glass at one time - but before I could formulate another plan of action, I was informed that I was to actually take a sip and HOLD it in my mouth until I was told to swallow. OY. I kept telling myself that I should just do it and get it over with, there are much worse things in life than this. It is strange to me that with the fantastic strides they make in medicine every day they could at least come up with something a little less foul. I was proud of myself that I did not gag or throw up and Gail was surprised to see me 10 minutes later.

Yesterday I went for my annual blood test. Instead of going to my usual testing place where I have to wait for two hours with hundreds of other people, I was told I could go to a local hopital, Mount Sinai Hospital Center. This was good news because it was close to home, there was ample parking, there would not be a long lineup of possibly flu-infested people and (bonus) I was excited because a cute guy, Tony (who was rumoured to be extremely gentle) was going to do my blood letting. My secret plan was to tell him that Gail thought he was adorable (which she does)and hence every time we would run into him Gail would be embarrased. Since we go to the hospital daily to visit with my brother, I was thinking I would get a lot of milage out of this. Things did not bode well however when I was waiting outside the lab and heard female voices and not Tony's. I was called in and I proceeded to sit down in the chair. Apparently Tony does not work on Mondays. Who knew! The lab technician was a woman whom I did not know and I realized I was in trouble when she kept tapping my arm for a vein - over and over and over again. She was very nice however and hopefully next time I will get the young and handsome Tony!

A shopping tip - do not, I repeat do not, shop at Canadian Tire. It seems that everytime we buy something at that store we end up having to return it. We swore the last time after having to return a large humdifier (why is it always a large object?) it would be the last. But oh no, Gail saw an ad for tables on sale and since we needed some additional folding tables off we went to that store again. We hauled home two large folding tables and got them up the stairs. I set up one and realized it was for midgets - being only about a foot and half off the ground. It was even too short for Gail and I! I checked the front label and it said something about being a Mesa table ???? and it could be adjusted to a normal height. O.K. the first table opened like a charm. Next came table #2. One side opened but we simply could not get the second leg to extend. We tried everything and it lay on its back for a week and every so often one of us would go over to it and yell to the other one to come and help and we would try again. I checked the bill and it said we had 90 days to return the lousy table, so a week and one day later off we went with the table. The two of us had to carry it in and after much waiting our turn came up. The girl at the counter asked what was wrong and we told her. She looked at the table and the top (it was black plastic) was all scuffed up. This condition was no doubt a result of laying on its back for a week while we kept pulling at its leg, and as Gail so succintly put it "schlepping it back and forth". Like anyone in that store knew what 'schlepping' meant. The girl then spoke to another girl who looked at the table and said we could not return it for money, only for a credit since it was in bad shape. We said it has to go back anyway since it is defective, and the bill says we have 90 days. Oh no, they said with glee, if you read the back of the bill it says that in SPECIAL CASES you have only 7 days to return the merchandise and it is now 8 days. So I said well how do you know if your merchandise is a SPECIAL CASE, it's not like you told me when I bought the thing that is was a SPECIAL CASE. They then proceeded to call over a man in a red shirt who tried to open the leg. Grunting and groaning, pulling on the leg, it simply did not budge. Vindication. However the two girls held fast and would not give us our money back. Actually we originally just wanted to exchange it for a new table, but just on principal we now wanted the CASH. No go. We then said we wanted to speak to the manager. OK so finally the manager in his red shirt shows. He proceeded to take the table and kept telling us to stop yelling. I swear my blood pressure must have gone up by 50 points. So the little creep pushes and pulls the leg of the table and voila - it opens. So Gail says well too bad we aren't taking that table since it will probably be impossible to open or close again. He said well tough then, we will have to take another table and no credit for you. Fine. Out of the two tables left, one was broken and we checked out the other one. We took it back to the girl who said we now have to stand in line to check it out. It was only an exchange but anything to further aggravate you (I think that is their motto) SHOP AT CANADIAN TIRE - WE WILL BE SURE TO AGGRAVATE YOU AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. We were behind an elderly lady who must have been there for 10 minutes, while the lady behind us kept saying there should be a special line for old people - right, that's all we are missing - having to show your 'old age' card in the check-out line!) Anyway by the time we finally got out of there we were yelling at each other and we made a solemn vow to never go there again. I pointed out again that that is what we said the last time, but Gail insisted we get these two tables since they were on sale and we needed them. Hence it was all her fault!!!

Eureka moment - (While looking the mirror) I was recently thinking about why as we get older we lose hair where we want it (on our heads) and grow it where we don't (all over our face). I actually came up with answer - you get hair all over your face to hide your wrinkles!

We have been making lots of Pandi products and still have more pins, necklaces and bracelets to design. We have posted some of the pins that we have already made and they look absolutely great on sweaters, pashminas, scarves, blazers, t-shirts and even cloth purses. We have also posted some more pictures of the pond as fall is fading and winter is getting ready to set it. It has a surprising beauty with its muted colors.

My desk is packed with papers and we have new merchandise that has not yet been put onto the site. Gail has loads of pictures to take. Stressful times. To make matters worse, we are also trying to watch our diets and of course Gail is losing weight while I seem to not drop a pound. It has been a while since we have shopped for clothes and we finally went to look for jeans. Holy cow - I got scared when I looked in the mirror. Was that really me - I checked around to see if I was alone in the dressing room. Yep.

So I will sign off for now since I have finished my breakfast and have to get back to work. Have a great week everyone. Once again we welcome your comments, and don't forget to visit www.beadandsave.com for great beads and great savings!

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty!

2009-11-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

You wanna know why I feel so pretty – well, I’ll tell you! I now know what I would look like blond, puffy lips, extra white teeth, tons of concealer, heavy-duty make-up and any colour eye shadow and lipstick you can imagine! And you can too! Yes, my friends, the only really bad part is first you have to take a picture of yourself without make-up and your hair pulled back, and yes, gasp…download it onto the internet!

Go to the site called InStyle.com. There you register, and can then download your picture. Once you see your face on the computer ( Warning: This can be scary) you have to follow the instructions and put the blue dots where your eyes,mouth and chin should be. Please take note, if you do not get this right you can end up with a crooked mouth (like I did) or eyes that are crossed. After you complete that part the fun begins. First, pick a hairstyle. You get to choose from all kinds of celebrity doos.(Second Warning: You will not actually resemble the celeb just because you have their hair). Once you pick the style and fool around with it so it actually sits properly on your head, you can change the color and add highlights. After that you pick your make-up - blusher, foundation, concealer, eyeliner, shadow, lashes, lipstick, the works. You can even plumb up the lips, whiten the teeth. and change the color of your eyes. The only thing this site does not let you do is lose 10 lbs! I played around with it and decided that long locks are definitely not for me. Blond hair, well not so bad!

Na Na Na Na Na! We got the flu shot, we got the flu shot! We’re sooo excited we are beside ourselves! I won’t divulge how and where but suffice it to say that you definitely need a connection. O.K., maybe we pushed ahead in terms of waiting for the day when healthly people can get the shot, but who cares? We were never so happy to get a shot. It’s like everyone has gone crazy. Someone sneezes and you run away as fast as possible in the opposite direction. It’s scary times, People!

Work at BeadandSave Enterprises Inc. seems to be getting busier. Orders are coming in and people, both beaders and manufacturers are buying from us. We are also getting ready for the Holiday Boutique Day on December 3rd taking place at the Jewish General Hospital, in their auditorium. We plan on selling everything from gorgeous Pandora bracelets, necklaces and keychains to exotic Millefiore and wood and rhinestone beads on leather bracelets, pendant and lampwork necklaces and gorgeous kilt pins. So mark your calendars and plan to drop by and say hello – its from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. You can even stay and help us if you want!

O.K. Now I am really excited! I just realized that Pandora cell phone holders can also be attached to zippers as pulls. What a great idea!!! You can attach them to purses, jackets, sweaters – anything that has a zipper!

If you, or somebody you know is interested in hosting a Pandi Party – give us a shout at gailandkaren@sympatico.ca. And don’t forget to visit us at www.beadandsave.com – not only did we get our site ready for the holiday season, we added many more items to the ON SALE department.

Good news, we have not killed each other yet, nor do we bear any visible scars!

.

A Walk in the Park!

2009-10-22T15:51:00.016-04:00

Hello everybody. I am posting some wonderful pictures that we took a week or two ago while walking through the park. It was a grey day and the flowers were taking their last breath, but as you can tell, there was still beauty to behold in the magnificent colours and contrasts of Autumn. We were also lucky enough to have one of the pictures featured on Weatherpix on CTV News (finally!) I have to say I was reluctant to send in any more photos since the first one I sent in was not picked, although Lori did write back and say “Great Shot” To that I say “Big Deal!” I would have rather had my picture shown on the air! O.K., I know, I am getting cranky again! I’m trying to lose 5 pounds so that I can actually fit into a pair of pants and so for the past three weeks have eaten very little sugar! No snacks or sugar rush for me – hence the bitchiness! I have managed to drop three pounds and can fit into my jeans (Karen’s hand-me-downs). Karen and I are on this diet together, but unfortunately, because she is borderline hypo-thyroid, she can’t even drop an ounce. I told her “at least you aren’t still packing it on!”

Last Saturday night a friend called us and asked if we wanted to go eat at an Italian restaurant on St. Zotique Street. They had specials for $10.95, tax in! Feeling adventurous and very peckish, we said “why not?” My friend commented, how bad could an Italian restaurant be in Little Italy? Anyway, although I am quite a picky eater, I was game. Off we went, driving around in the dark in Little Italy until we finally located this restaurant. We walked into this dump (it is the only way I would describe it) and then this very gruff man asked us if we had reservations. He reminded me of the Cake Boss on heavy-duty nasty pills and steroids. My friend bravely told him, no sir, but please sir, we came a long way! He then showed us to one of many empty tables. As soon as we seated ourselves on the bridge chairs, a woman came over and asked if we found a purse. No, we said, there was no purse here. Meanwhile we looked over the menu. Karen and my friend both chose the special, chicken with pasta and grilled chicken respectively. (Neither special was listed on the menu – they had to ask). I politely inquired about the lasagna – was it made with meat? The waitress could not tell me, it depended what the chief (I use the term loosely) decides to put in it on any given day. Scary thoughts buzzed through my mind and I wisely decided to choose one of my favourites, Linguini alle vongole, or loosely translated, linguini with clams. As we waited for our meal we were given some cut up stale bread and chick peas. My friend liked the peas, I had to admit I was a little revolted. The décor was, well, let’s see, how would I describe it. Mmmmm, old, framed family pictures covered one whole dirty wall and there was a double disco ball hanging from the ceiling, as were numerous different lamps. There was a huge pipe running the length of the ceiling with ducts sprouting from it, I guess it provided the heat or the air conditioning. The noise level was unbelievable. We had a party of about twenty behind us celebrating a 50^th anniversary. Right across from us was the one-eyed dishwasher who kept turning up Frank Sinatra every five minutes. It was so loud even Frank would have complained that he couldn’t hear himself sing.

During this time the woman who asked if we had seen her purse was busy walking back and forth, crying. Finally, another man came over and asked if he could look for her purse. We said sure. We all looked under the table and Karen pulled out a suitcase. How on earth could she lose that thing? Obviously, she hadn't bothered to look under the table when she thought it was missing, there was absolutely no way the purse could have ever sat on top of the table. It would have taken up the whole space and there would have been no room for the food. O.K. one crisis solved. At least she stopped crying. Here comes our food. Mine was served in an aluminum pan (handle and all). I did not know which way to turn it, one way the handle would have ended up in Karen’s face, the other, off the table. It had a few baby tomatoes cut up, some clams and a lot of linguini. I am not a great lover of pasta. I like a good linguini alle vongole, maybe a good lasagna with pepperoni. I can honestly say that this was the worst meal I had ever eaten, maybe in my entire life, except for the one we ate somewhere in Northern Italy. A huge lump of linguini covered with very little tomato sauce, a lot of garlic and canned clams. I was mortified. My friend called over the waitress and asked if I could have some more tomato sauce on my pasta, but she said the sauce was at the bottom. The bottom was the sauce from the can of clams and water. Yuck! Karen’s chicken has cheese from a cardboard can sprinkled on top and my friend mentioned that her grilled chicken was very hard. I can honestly say that I was never so happy to leave a place as I was that restaurant.

There is a question that I would like to pose – who in their right mind ever dreamed up the concept of a mirror magnified five times? I finally decided to buy one. I took it home and put it on the bathroom shelf. I looked into it and nearly died. Who was that person? Every blemish, every wrinkle, every red mark, every pimple, every pore on your face – magnified until you want to lose your lunch. I now make sure if I have to use it, I do it before I eat.

I have to admit that writing a blog is hard, mainly because you have to come up with material to write about. So I every time a think of something of interest I quickly run and jot it down on a tiny piece of paper and leave it on my desk. So my next topic is going to be crumb key loud – meat, or icy local. Should I ever figure out exactly what I wrote, I will definitely expand on the topic!

Karen and I are working hard. Building up a business in a recession, I must admit, is not easy. We have committed to taking a table at the Holiday Boutique Day taking place at the Jewish General Hospital on December 3^rd. That means we must have a lot of inventory to sell. We are busy putting together necklaces, bracelets and accessories, both Pandora-style and lampwork. We have also sold to Gift shops and are planning on giving Pandi Parties. We advertise in all major international magazines and are always purchasing new products to add to our website www.beadandsave.com .

We both bear no knife marks or gunshot wounds, so things are working out quite nicely. But its a good thing our landlady is hard of hearing!

Squeaker Suddenly Scares Shopping Sister Silly

2009-10-09T17:07:00.017-04:00

There she was, early in the morning, minding her own business, picking through the produce (red peppers to be exact) in our local IGA, when to Sissy’s surprise, out pops a little furry grey head with black, beady eyes. Eeeek! Startled, she jumps back! Once recovered enough to speak, she turned to a female worker behind her and told her what she spotted. The worker quickly disappeared behind the door. Nothing. She then found two other young workers and repeated her story of horror. They walked over, inspected the scene of the crime, and said “Oh yeah, I see him!” And that was that. The third worker that was approached agreed that it was indeed disgusting. He asked, “Was it in between the jars”? “No, (you moron) it was in the fresh produce”. Not that any of the produce was too fresh that early in the morning.

Who would expect a mouse to greet you at the grocery store amid the red peppers? Does that mean that the mouse actually does its business in our fruit and veggies – I would guess yes! Yech! To hear her tell the tale once safely home, nobody seemed to really care if there was a mouse amid the produce, and this, needless to say, ticked off Karen no end. We did indeed have to return to pick something up (we were cooking dinner for a cousin that same evening) and Karen insisted on bringing me to the red pepper stand to show me exactly where she saw the mouse. “Get away from there” I shouted. “It could still be there waiting to attack!” I wasn’t happy being anywhere near the whole fruit and vegetable section all together.

Unbeknownst to me, Karen was still stewing. This latest mouse incident did not sit well and was still sticking in her craw. In fact, she insisted we go back to the store today to bring this disturbing (to say the least) incident to the attention of THE OWNER! It was as if he was expecting her. Yes, he knew about it and yes, when she saw the mouse it had already been slowly poisoned and it was slowly dying (no doubt in the produce section of the store). Peanut butter houses had been set up to trap the creature, and he explained how, during the ongoing renovations the door was accidently left open too long and one little, tiny mouse had managed to creep through. Sissy felt better now that we knew the story, and off we went. No doubt, I will keep my eyes peeled for any little beady eyes peeking back at me amid the fruits and veggies when I shop at that store.

Having had a mouse problem just last year (and the year before that, and the year before that) in our old house, I have to say I am not a fan. One sighting during the day had me sitting in the living room clutching a broom, terrified to walk down the hall into the kitchen. I promptly called Karen to inform her that if she wanted me to finish dinner (I was cooking dinner for guests that evening) she had better hightail it home NOW because I was horrified and was going nowhere. Another incident had us cornering a mouse into a corner, while we whacked it over its head with a broom. Whack, whack, whack, whack, whack! Now that it was dead what were we supposed to do with it? No way either one of us would touch it. I know, we’ll call our neighbour to come and dispose of it. She had a Ph.D. in something scientific so obviously she had to experiment with mice in her day. No problem, after our hysterical phone call she came over pronto. Unfortunately, she did not have experience with this particular type of mouse, but she agreed to help. We rounded up an empty box from Snowdon Deli party sandwiches, held it open and she swept it in. We quickly closed the box, wrapped it in a small grocery bag, and put it outside on the back balcony.

The next day, the bag had gone missing. We couldn’t figure out who would want that bag. Funny thing was, weeks later, we were talking to our upstairs neighbour who told us that she happened to see the bag on the back stairs while she was walking up (it must have blown off the balcony) and not knowing, thought there might be something of importance in it and opened up the bag (and the box). Needless to say, she was horrified! We had a good laugh over that one!

On the business end, advertisements were placed in three well-known international beading magazines and the response has been very positive. We spend a good part of our day filling orders and going to the post office (where I fight with the clerk at least once a week). “Are you sure it weighs that much? Weigh it again!”

One of my favourite parts of the morning is sitting down and seeing who visited our site in the last 24 hours. We have visitors (and orders) from all over the world – Australia, Philippines, Finland, India, Russia, China, South Africa, United Kingdom, just to name a few.

One of my newest discoveries is Street View. Karen thinks I’m nuts, but I think it is fascinating. Type in a city and “drive” around and view the sites. Its like you were there, visiting. United States, Europe, Australia and Japan, and just yesterday they added major cities in Canada. I now know where all my cousins (who I have never visited) live and can actually see their houses. Remarkable!

Oh yeah, if you never hear from Karen again it’s because I killed her. She plays this card game on the computer at the desk next to me. Every time she gets a certain number of matches a loud trumpet blows, and scares me to death! Da Ta Du, Da Ta Du!

I am including some new pictures of our finished Pandora jewellery and accessories. I am also adding a link to a really neat site of gorgeous photos – of insects! They are marvellous! Visit http://acidcow.com/pics/4370-amazing-insect-images-by-igor-iwanowicz-60-pics.html

Don’t forget to visit us at www.beadandsave.com! We are always adding new products to the site, as well as putting great beads “on sale”. We look forward to your comments!

Have a great week-end!

Let it Bead!

2009-09-28T19:08:00.018-04:00

Well, Gail told me I have to sit down and write the blog this time. No more futsing around - people are asking where is it already. Apparently our blog is great reading. I am certainly not going to cross her - she just might get angry and stop writing altogether - and there goes our laugh for the week.

The problem is, Gail always writes about things that piss her off, and frankly, I am more the type of person who looks at the glass and thinks it is half full rather than half empty - hence I am not really upset about too much right now.

First off, Gail neglected to mention our wonderful supper we had a couple of Sundays ago with P & B! P was amazing when we moved in - she hung up all the blinds in the house and helped move over stuff. She even has a tool belt and impressed my landlady no end. Actually B came over one night to help her hang the really big blinds and while I thought fisticuffs might break out, they are wonderful people - and good eaters. Supper was licious ( I never bother with the 'de') and we ate like N1H1. Thanks P & B, we never could have done it all without you! I have posted some pictures which were taken in the back garden of Mt. Sinai Hospital Center in Montreal. This is an amazing residence which is home to patients who need 24/7 care, pallative patients, and people who visit for a couple weeks with respiratory illnesses. My brother has been a long term care resident there for 19 years now, and while it has its problems, it also has many wonderful aspects to it.

We often sit out in the garden - it even has swings which can accomodate wheelchairs. The only problem is - you guessed it - flying insects with stingers. Poor Gail - she runs all over the place like a mad woman and people think she is wacky. My brother knows she is wacky and laughs at her - while the yellow jackets ( we can no longer call them wasps) are flying around my brother's face. Yech. We figure that Gail must have had a bad experience with them in a previous life. It is actually funny to see people's faces who don't know her. Don't get me wrong, I am not that crazy about them either - if they are on me I get a bit freaked out, but nothing like the sis. The garden has a large pond filled with fish - koi I think - and they grow larger each year. It is very relaxing to watch them swim around, though I often get the urge to reach in and grab one. Why, I am not sure but it looks like fun.

Fall is here with a vengence - we are now experiencing a whole week of rain, and after our recent run of warm, sunny weather, we are spoiled. Still, the trees are turning and the flowers seem more brilliant than ever, so I am doing my best to enjoy the beauty and not think of what's ahead. The news is starting to scare me - all this H1N1 stuff (my friend calls it the hi-knee flu).(See the picture of what happens when you wake up in the morning with the flu). I think that Quebec will finally get the vaccine AFTER the peak is well over with. What kind of sense does that make? Most of us will have either had it or won't get it anyway. They also announced that we cannot get the regular flu vaccine since it will make the hi-knee flu worse! OY. Me thinks I will not go out for the next month or two - I will stock up on food like Gail made us do when they had the Year 2000 scare. We had enough tuna to stock a super market.

We are expecting new beads soon and have added pandies (pandora-style beads) to the new "On Sale" department. There are some really great buys there so check it out. We are also making up lots of Pandie bracelets which have been selling like hotcakes. They make great Christmas and Chanukah gifts. We still have not chosen a new blog site so please put up with this one for a while longer. Lots of complaints - sheesh - but finding a new one is extremely time-consuming - there are thousands out there!

I will leave you all with a word of warning however - don't buy really large bars of soap - they are a health hazard. I dropped one on my toe this week and nearly broke it. So be forewarned. So long from beadland, and don't forget to visit us at www.beadandsave.com and take a look at what's On Sale!

They Say its your Birthday!

2009-09-14T18:39:00.003-04:00

They say it’s your birthday, we’re going to have a good time, they say it’s your birthday, happy birthday to you!

Who doesn’t know those famous lyrics? As I listen to those inspirational words I am instantly stimulated to sit down and write another blog. Karen (my friend said enough with the Sissy) was one of many who read with great anticipation about the release of the complete works of the Beatles albums, digitally enhanced!! Anyways, Wednesday afternoon, she says to me “Let’s go and get the new Beatles albums!” Secretly, I knew it was a ploy not to have to work but I did not let on. Instead I said “sure, let’s go!” and we were spurred into action. Karen called the HMV in the shopping centre and the girl told her that all the boxed sets were already gone, she indeed had the albums but they were going fast, most probably wouldn’t have any left by the end of the day. Yikes! We didn’t even have time to pee, we grabbed our purses, a couple of mints (for the energy) and took off. While we were in the car Karen cautioned me and gave me my instructions. We go in, we fight our way through the crowds and I was to grab 6 albums, and she would take 7 others. O.K. I was pumped. Being 4’10” there is nothing more I like better than to weasel my way through crowds of tall people. I can push and shove with the best of them, I am fearless. I can inflict pain if need be. I WANTED those albums, I NEEDED those albums. I just could not live a minute longer without those albums. In we went. Our gaze did not waiver. We were on a mission – no temptation thrown in our path would have swayed us – not ice cream, not a store window filled with the new Fall collections – NADA!

We stormed into the store – the empty store – and quickly made our way to the collection of albums. Crouched down, we grabbed one of each selection. As we turned around (still on the floor) there was a sweet little baby boy just standing there and staring at us. Interestingly enough, very often little children notice that we look alike, as he did. I did a little “Hi Sweetie, aren’t you cute and tickled his tummy! He just stood there staring at us, looking at Karen, looking at me. After about 5 minutes of doing this exercise he promptly burst into tears. Needless to say, both of us were a little insulted at his behaviour. We do not consider ourselves scary enough to inspire tears but apparently we are! The mother promptly picked him up and whisked him away – not soon enough, apparently. We then proceeded to get up into a standing position which took a while, and sifted through our find of albums.

We made our selection and then of course had to do a quick run-through of the shopping centre.

I don’t know if you have ever visited Google’s Street View, but it is really fascinating. You can visit different cities across the globe. I personally wouldn’t base booking a trip on the two streets that you can see in any given city, but it is really quite something and held my interest for about 15 minutes as I visited some bridge in Japan and a couple of stores in Waco Texas.

As we listen to the Fab Four, my question to you is “How much dope do I have to smoke before I can figure out what the song Me and My Monkey is about?” And I am almost sure that the song about Mother Superior jumping the gun is sexual. But I sure can’t figure it out. Maybe if you substitute gun for priest, it would make more sense.

Saturday evening we went out with two wonderful friends for a great Chinese dinner and then back to our house for dessert. One of my favourites is an Apple Crumble, not because of the apples, but because of the crumble – or should I say brown sugar! I love sugar, I eat it right out of the container. So any chance I get to use it in baking, I take it! We didn’t buy ice cream to accompany the pie only because one of our friends is lactose intolerant. She was the first to say o.k when the subject was brought up, but the idea was quickly vetoed. Although they had not met before (well they actually did but did not realize it until last night) they hit it off beautifully. We are all very spiritually “aware” and it was a pretty fascinating conversation. We also made a gorgeous Pandora style bracelet for Miss B in black, pink, white and silver as a gift for her 50th birthday.

On the business end of things, we are busy putting together Pandora bracelets, necklaces and key chains. They make great gifts! We will be starting to sell them very shortly, and will also be doing Pandora parties. If anyone is interested in hosting a party just let us know! Karen and I are also planning to give workshops on the basics of jewelry making.

Don’t forget to visit us at www.beadandsave.com!

I Could have Eaten All Night, I Could have Eaten All Night, and Still have Begged for More...

2009-09-06T11:08:00.011-04:00

I could have eaten all night, I could have eaten all night, and still have begged for more!

I know everyone is waiting to hear about the weddings! And the shoes! Lets go for the shoes first – Sissy’s were fine, mine hurt like he - - double hockey sticks! As you can see by the pictures we were all dolled up (for us anyway). Both weddings were beautiful, and very different. We have posted pictures of us dressed for the events, and as, promised – the shoes!

The first affair was the wedding of the daughter of a very good friend. The wedding party danced and twirled down the aisle to an upbeat song (I forget what). The groomsmen wore tuxes and sneakers, which were a special brand the groom favored. Everything was truly beautiful. The room where we dined was spectacular, the table settings and flowers gorgeous.

The second wedding was more traditional, it had the flower girl throwing petals, accompanied by a sweet little red-headed boy who looked terrified. Of course, the flower girl had to high-tail it back to her parents at the back of the hall during the ceremony. The dining area was white, chairs covered in white and white billowing curtains covering the walls. The centerpieces were large crystal vases filled with pink and purple flowers.

At the second affair, while we were eating the main course at 10:30 p.m. it did not escape my notice that I am usually in bed at this time. The sweet table was only set-up around 11 p.m. but pictures and videos of each cake and piece of fruit had to be taken before guests could partake of the goodies. I circled the table and of course I was instantly attracted to a three-colored chocolate mousse cake. Should I – shouldn’t I – what should I do? I could eat it and then get a sugar/chocolate double rush and be up all night. I could take a chance and scoff it down now and maybe fall asleep before the caffeine kicks in. What do you think I did!!!

Some of the outfits the ladies and youngsters wore were simply stunning. And of course, decked out in 6 inch heels, both Sissy and I felt like midgets. We never feel comfortable in crowds and there were times when all we could see were legs.

Getting back to us twinnies, Sissy looked quite stunning in her black pants, sequined jacket and low-cut camisole. Apparently too low cut since the tatas were very much out there! Definitely a wardrobe malfunction! An adjustment had to be made for the second event and the too-sexy top was traded in for a more modest one that Sissy felt a lot more secure in, as did her tatas. Who said you can’t pick up new words from TV – Clinton uses that word all the time, and Stacey refers to them as “the Girls”! But one thing they both agree on – “they must be locked and loaded!

I on the other hand felt pretty comfortable in my black beaded dress; and I was also wearing Sissy’s beautiful black shawl to keep me warm. Unfortunately, I noticed that towards the end of the evening of the second affair the shoulders kept slipping down my arms. Yikes! When I got home I saw that the back zipper was already one-third down. I refuse to think about whether or not I was walking around at a black-tie affair with my dress halfway undone throughout the night because I would have to throw up.

On the business end, we have put many items on sale! Visit www.beadandsave.com to get some great bargains. The Bargain Basement also has some great deals. We have also added some new Pandora beads to the site as well. We are working really hard, the website is definitely a work in progress! We are very excited to say that if you “google” Pandora beads, www.beadandsave.com is on the first page!

2009-08-19T08:05:00.004-04:00

Big News………No, Wait…..HUGE NEWS!

Thissy got thoose, Thissy got thoose! Oops, sorry, forgot to take my out my mouth guard. I was in such a rush to tell everyone the good news! Sissy got shoes, Sissy got shoes! Yes, it has finally happened, and right down to the wire too. The pants have been pinned for a week, but because Sissy had faith, she didn’t hem the suckers. She knew in her heart that shoes would appear, and appear they did! Just like magic. Our wonderful friend (who wishes to remain anonymous) was in Atlantic City and brought back a pair of shoes especially for Sissy. Black Ballerina shoes with sequins. Sissy said that when she wears them she feels like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Except that Dorothy’s were red with a stack heel and a lot of sparkles. And I don’t see no yellow brick road where I live. A mall, maybe, yellow brick roads, NOT! Back to the shoes, they are a little big in the back but Sissy will glue her heels to the shoes. I will help her. I'm thinking Crazy Glue should work well. She can walk in them and does not loose her balance. And best of all I don’t have to kill her. My friend even raided her kid’s cupboards and I got a cute silver purse to carry with me. We are all set to partaaaaaa. Just joshing, cause we don’t dance. We sit, we eat, but we don’t jive. All kidding aside, we are really looking forward to this very special wedding. Twenty-five years ago we held the baby in our arms, and now this wonderful woman is getting married.

We are happy to announce that Bead and Save now has a site on Artfire. The address is www.beadandsave.artfire.com Check out our great bead sets! We will also be receiving some great Pandora beads in the next couple of days. I will keep you posted. We are thrilled to find that when you “google” Pandora beads, www.beadandsave.com is right there on the first page! We even shipped to Finland and Australia this week. I guess all our hard work is starting to pay off.

2009-08-15T10:20:00.006-04:00

SHE’S GOT THE WEDDING BELL SHOESSSSS!

O.K. Sissy is hemming her beautiful fancy pants as I type. Yesterday, as she was trying on her outfit, she came and asked me if her shoes were o.k. And can I notice that her shoe had a hole in it at the top where her big toe pushed through it. (Let’s not go there!!!) After all she was making the pants as long as possible. What could I say? I knew, because I accompanied her to every shoe store in the city, that she could not find a pair of shoes to fit her and her non-existent heels. I knew, because every pair of shoes she tried on hurt her back. I knew, because every pair of shoes that had a heel of more than one inch “threw her off balance”. What could I say? “Damn it – YES – I see that hole! You would have to be blind not to, especially when you pointed it out. Anyway, we have ONE more store that might be a possibility (Please God) and then that’s it. My theory is – for goodness sake, it is only six hours. You’ll take them off when you are sitting. I even showed her gold sneakers. But no go. The wedding is next Sunday and it looks like those Mary Janes have won. It was a long, hard battle and I know in my heart that it was indeed a valiant effort on my part. She’s still breathing isn’t she?

It’s been a busy week at Bead and Save Enterprises Inc. We received another order of beautiful Pandora style beads. If you are interested the Code Nos. are from PSP0235 – PSS0254. The baby pink freshwater pearl bead is especially pretty. Take a peak at the site, www.beadandsave.com They will be there by Monday morning for sure. I have been taking pictures like a mad woman and Karen has been busy entering every new product on the site. We put together beautiful bead sets and jewellery which will be on Artfire and Etsy very shortly. We will let you know as soon as we get those sites up and running. For those of you not familiar with the sites, they specialize in everything handmade. Take a peek, they are really great.

My question of the week concerns a very serious issue – hard fruit! Is it only me or have you noticed that most fruit that you buy, like peaches, plums and nectarines, are hard like rocks for a week or more, then turn to mush when you bite into them? If anyone can explain the reason for this I would seriously like to know. It is like throwing away your money, literally. And they fool you, because it actually looks like real fruit. You buy the fruit, you leave it on the counter. You glance at it every day. You pick it up and feel it, you poke it with your finger. Nope, still hard like a rock. Around the end of the second week you decide, enough is enough! You bravely pick up one that has a tiny soft spot and bite into it. Yech! You spit it out because it is rotten. You turn it around, thinking maybe you can salvage another bite. But no, it is totally uneatable! Not only that, any fruit that can be eaten actually has no taste! How do they do that?

My theory is they pump it with some sort of chemical so that the fruit will last from the time they harvest it in some foreign country you can’t pronounce, until they pack it, ship it by truck, train, plane or rail, leave it on the docks for a least week, deliver it to the store and you unwittingly buy it.

Really, the only way you can get a taste of real fruit is to eat Jello!

And another serious issue – how stupid do you feel talking to a computer, yelling English, English. Those things are actually programmed so that they do not understand yelling! “I am sorry but I did not understand – did you say English?” So I yell “English!” “O.K. you said English” By this time I am so disgusted that I hang up and have to start all over. I would much rather talk to a surly, rude human than a computer any day. You can scream at a human.

So that’s about it for my complaining this round. I will definitely keep you informed on the shoe problem and because “seeing is definitely believing”, I will post some pictures of the twins in all their finery. I will practice posing so I do not look a dork and will make sure Sissy does not take a picture too close up so that every wrinkle shows!

We are finally getting summer weather, it’s stifling out there. So enjoy it!

Don’t forget to visit www.beadandsave.com And we want to hear from you! Also don’t forget that we have ready-made necklaces and bracelets, and Pandora-style jewellery. They made fantastic gifts.

2009-08-03T16:56:00.031-04:00

She's a Sugar Freak, Sugar Freak!

Here I am on my hands and knees peering intently under my desk at 7:15 a.m. and what am I looking for? A plumb, juicy SUGAR coated raisin. No getting away from it, I am definitely a sugar freak. Yep, I eat it right out of the bag, especially the yummy brown kind! There is just something about that melt in your mouth sweetness that is irresistible, not to mention highly addictive. Candy, cake, ice cream - you name it, if it’s sweet, I like it! It is never too early to consume sugar. Why, there is not a lot that can beat chocolates at 9 a.m. in the morning. And really, what is better than chocolate chip cookies, made with four kinds of chocolate, right out of the oven – well, not too much! Maybe if Sissy could find a pair of shoes, it would rank right up there!

One thing I have noticed as I gracefully age – if I sit on the floor I can’t get up. Getting out of the tub is also not for the faint of heart! I carefully grab onto the tap with one hand and the soap dish with the other and as I slowly heave myself up I pray I don’t fracture a hip! I am sure it won’t take much since it is already extremely weak, what with the osteoporosis and all.

The wedding events are looming closer – and still no shoes! No heels, no shoes – notice a pattern? I am all set except for the pair of black sheer stockings with lycra that I was instructed to purchase. I guess lycra is good, holds in what you don’t want sticking out, but I always find it a little restrictive. I find as I age I tend to strive for extreme comfort rather than beauty. Lycra is also good because I have skinny legs (stick ankles) and apparently they won’t bag up on me, which I guess really is not too attractive when you are wearing a black beaded dress! But it’s got to better than Spanx. I will post pictures of the twin dollies all dressed up onto the site after the event. I will most definitely take a close up of Sissy in her formal attire with her feet in the Baby Janes. Unfortunately, Sissy does not care, she has given up the hunt. Our friend Caryl is scouring her closet, as well as her daughters’ to see if she can find the perfect shoe, or at least something more suitable than what Sissy is planning to wear. But wait – all is not lost – our friend BB has located a brand new pair of Italian (no less!) black and white pumps that just might do the trick.

It is Sunday morning as I write this and I am trying to find ways to advertise www.beadandsave.com We received yet another order of beads, mostly black and white glass in different shapes and sizes. The picture is at the bottom. Black and white, a staple in any wardrobe, is also a staple to any bead designer. The beads are already on the site, so if you are interested, they are Code No. 000912 through 000922.

I am also including pictures of some lovely Pandora-style bracelets and necklaces that we have just completed. They are for sale, and they make great gifts. The beauty of Pandora-style jewellery is the fact that you can easily change the beads, giving your piece a whole new look. Beadandsave carries a large variety of Pandora-style bracelets, bangles, necklaces, key chains and cell phone straps. The necklaces are 40 – 48 cm in length, the bracelets start at 15 cm and will fit children and teens. For those of you who would like to create your own jewellery, www.beadandsave.com sells Pandora-style beads individually, and will shortly be selling Pandi-Paks as well.

Bead and Save has donated a lovely pink, white and black bead set (Code No. 00875) as a give-away ton the Beading Gem's Journal site and is happy to report that there was an overwhelming response. Over 55 comments so far with regards to the www.beadandsave.com website, our beautiful beads and the site – and all favourable! It even got CrankyPants to start beading again!

If you would like to read some of the comments you can go to www.beadinggem.com and scroll down until you come to the gorgeous necklace. You can also add a comment if you like.

What’s this! I have just tried on a pair of long denim shorts that Sissy has deemed too small for her. Unfortunately, when I tried them on it looked like I had “full pants” Definitely not the look I am going for at the moment.

Once again we would like to thank everyone for their support, it is really important to us. Don’t forget to visit us often and tell all your friends about our site - and our blog!

Headline: Woman Injured Scooping Ice Cream !

2009-07-29T09:56:00.013-04:00

Of course that would be me. There I was trying to scoop out some really frozen Chocolate Fury with a little spoon, and I had to get it out really fast because I hate melted ice cream. Owwwww. I was pressing so hard on the spoon that I really injured my middle finger – yes, the one that I use to gesture with. Today my finger is very red, stiff and swollen. I am thinking of suing Breyers, maybe even starting a class action. I bet there are plenty of people out there who have experienced the same injury. This experience has made me a little cranky…

Before I forget – what’s up with those Tilley hats? Is it me or do they look a little funny? Maybe its the brim, or the holes with rivets.

For some reason I have the funeral parlour website listed on My Favourites. When did I develop this obsession to check out who died every hour and a half?

Is it my imagination or is there much less tissue in a roll of toilet paper these days? I think I should buy stock since it is the one item that nobody can cut down on.

Unfortunately, more bug incidents to report. Oh my, it has certainly been a bad week! Only a couple of nights ago, while reading in bed, I noticed a huge black bug with wings heading right for me. (They all do). I did a complete 180 turn in bed (so fast I almost lost consciousness) and ran out of the room, while keeping my eyes on the monster. I called for Sissy “Come quick, there’s a bug!” Sissy immediately jumped out of bed, put on some clothing and yelled “Grab the Windex, grab the Windex”. Of course I immediately ran to the kitchen in a panic and grabbed the High Voltage Bug Zapper and the fly swatter before I got the Windex. Armed to the teeth and ready to do battle, I entered the arena. Karen was already there and I handed her the spray. She immediately went into action and soaked the area where the bug was supposedly hiding. It was a fight to the finish. I did not stand idly by, I pushed each cushion on the floor out of the way, one by one, in case IT was there. Finally, under the last cushion there IT was. Die Bug Die! And IT did, thanks to Sissy with her quick thinking and fast arm. Her lightening action saved me from having to sleep on the pull - out sofa in the living room.

Just last night we spotted what appeared to be a slow flying wasp in the living room while watching television. It either wanted to watch Two and a Half Men or it wanted our blood. Sissy, while talking on the phone, was again called into combat. With Windex in hand she sprayed and sprayed until it went and took cover inside the radiator. Most likely it was planning another attack when we least expect it, probably in January. Oh, and how can I forget that huge black earwig lying in wait on the bathroom ceiling. Of course I only noticed it while I was in the tub. I can move pretty quick for an old broad. Sissy had to perform her magic once again. Even before I had a chance to recover from the two Bug Episodes, Sissy called ME into action – two flies in her bedroom! Yikes, what was going on??? The HVBZ was quickly put into use. Where were all these bugs coming from? We quickly tore up towels to plug up possible areas around the air conditioner, and needless to say I slept with the door closed just in case.

Unfortunately the Great Canadian Shoe Hunt for Sissy has so far been unsuccessful, and time is quickly running out. If I hear “I have no heels” when she is trying on shoes one more time I might beat her to death with a pair of high heels.

Score one for women everywhere! Power to the Shopper! Last week I was shopping at the Bay in one of their many clothing boutiques, scouring the 70% off rack. Naturally, a top fell off the hanger and I put it back on. Two seconds later another item fell off its hanger onto the floor. I realized that there was no way that this sweater was EVER going to stay put so I picked it up and placed it over the rack. A minute later a saleslady, with a telephone stuck to her ear, came over and asked if she could help me. I said “No thank you, I am fine”. She said “Then why are you throwing the clothes on the floor?” Excusssse me? I told her that “I did not throw the sweater on the floor, but only picked it up off the floor and put it on the rack.” She then walked away and continued her phone conversation.

After trying on a couple of items, we left the boutique and wandered around the store. I was still stewing - and I was mad. As we made our way back to the entrance I told Sissy that I was not happy and was going to tell that sales person exactly that. Sissy was a little shocked – can a shopper actually do this - confront the sales person who talks back, insults you and treats you like dirt? Yes we can!!! I trotted right up her (she finally finished talking on the phone) and said “Excuse me, but I have to tell you that I was extremely insulted by your accusation that I was throwing the clothes on the floor, when I was actually picking them up.” “The woman actually apologized. Of course I couldn’t stop myself from adding, “And, if you were not on the phone, you could have picked it up yourself, which is part of your job in the first place!” Ohh, she didn’t like that part at all, She shouted out “Well who is insulting now”. I walked away as she fumed, telling Sissy that “we do not have to take this garbage any longer”. Score one for the shopper!

Business wise, we have been really busy, and Beadandsave Enterprises Inc continues to grow. I have posted some of our creations that were designed with beads from our vast selection. We received more glass beads, really nice tubes and bicones in black, grey, white and tan, as well as sterling silver toggles and crimps. We are in the process of putting together Pandora-style bracelets, necklaces and accessories and will start selling them to stores very shortly. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, setting up for home sales, marketing the web site, setting up jewellery workshops, and getting out there selling our wares. Wish us luck!!!

Working with your twin can be a little challenging….we haven’t killed each other yet, but we definitely came close a few times. Don’t forget to tell all your friends to visit us at www.beadandsave.com

Let us know how you like our blog...we value your comments.

We welcome your comments and value your input.

Disfunctional is only a word

2009-07-19T09:23:00.006-04:00

So it is early on Sunday morning. We are getting ready to go out and find me a pair of 'fancy-smancy' shoes. I tried Winners yesterday and only ended up with a pair of brown and pink canvas New Balance shoes, but if I have to I can put a diamond clasp on them and wear them to the weddings. NOT!! Had a wonderful day on Friday - our old neighbours and dear friends W and P came in from Halifax and we got to spend the whole day together. Basically we just ate and talked and ate some more. We love to see them and W is a bead fanatic. P loved our blogs - he says it is amazing how we can turn an ordinary event into a whole story. I figure it is just like Jerry Seinfeld, only he makes up these non-events for comedic purposes while Gail and I are just recounting what actually happened. Unfortunately for us it is all too real. Gail got to use her high-voltage fly-swatter and zapped an in-house invader so she was happy. P, a real outdoors kind of guy was in a state of shock and awe over her adept performance with the 'swatter'.

Yesterday, Saturday, was a busy day which culminated in our friends coming over for supper and a game of cards. We are avid card players - starting at an early age and learning from a master - our Mother. No one took card playing as seriously as she did - she never caught on that the word 'playing' was part of the description. She thought cards was a competitive sport. There was no talking or fooling around with her, and in our much younger days, during the summer months, we were forced to play Canasta with her and her friends whenever they were short of players, which was way too often for our liking.

Supper was a great success and we brought out the cards early on - basically because we were giving ourselves time to digest the food before we started on a delicious blueberry crumb pie and chocolate fury ice cream that Leenie brought over. We play Phase 10 - a simple, no stress game which involves lots of swearing and dirty looks (it those 'skip' cards). Jenny is a card shark while Leenie is new to the game. The game went fairly smoothly until Leenie looked at Gail's cards down on the table and kept yelling at her. Gail was supposed to put down 7 cards of one color which she did. Leenie was going for the same hand and could not understand why Gail's cards weren't in a run as well. That was a complete other hand of the game and Leenie actually put down her cards - all of one color and in a run!!!! It was hilarious and Jenny had to run to the BR (toilette) so she wouldn't wet her pants. (Just another age-related symptom.)

On to the dessert- Yum. We finished off the game with no more incidents and I won by a landslide.

Am off to the post office to mail an order. Wonder what the rest of the day will bring.............

... Had a fun and busy day - sad to say I did not manage to find a suitable pair of shoes. No thanks to sissy who kept giving the salesmen looks behind my back (she thought I didn't know - but ha ha , the sales guys were laughing at me just a bit too much). Even without my sockettes the damn shoes didn't fit, and no way in hell was I going to spend a lot of money on shoes that had to be stretched just so I could I wear them. The guy even said it would only be for a few hours and I can take them off under the table. Boy are times tough out there. On the bright side, we received a dinner invitation while on the hunt, and then had to rush home after a call that a customer was on the way.

Had a wonderful supper and evening and I will leave you with an observation of mine.
There are many more females that read our blog then members of the male persuasion, and I am at a loss as to why this is.
Is blogging a feminine past time? Maybe if we post some porno on the site it will greatly increase the male readership! I wonder if they have beads with breasts appliqued on them instead of flowers?

Rain, rain go away!

2009-07-13T09:21:00.009-04:00

Rain rain Go Away! Seriously, if it doesn’t stop peeing from the clouds I am going to loose my Raisin Bran. Enough already! As the late MJ liked to say “Just Beat It". As I gaze out my second story window I see another blond in short black exercise pants and almost no top performing her daily constitutional. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but when I go for a walk I do not like to draw attention to my skinny legs so I opt for sweats. (Sorry if it sounds like sour grapes!). Shorts and dresses are simply not an option because of my ever-growing rash on the front of one leg. I figure if I let it go another couple of months it could reach my thigh. Time to try another cream! Now that I got that off my falling chests (the question is how far can they really fall? Since I am pretty short, does that mean I will have to kick them in front of me as I walk? Maybe I will just staple them to my waist, but I digress).

Wonderful news on the wedding front – Sissy found an outfit – and all in one store in one afternoon! Of course it is your basic black. It’s a great pair of dressy pants and a silk cammi. Now all we need to unearth for her is a pair of fancy shmancy shoes. Not easy since Sissy has no heels to speak of and lets face it, orthodics are not alluring. We might be getting into a time crunch here because we also have to get her pants shortened, which will be only after she finds those elusive shoes. And let us not forget myself, I have to have my (donated) beautiful black beaded dress shortened and taken in from the back. Apparently this procedure will give me a shape and make me appear taller than my 4 feet 10 inches (and still shrinking). Personally, I would be much happier if my stomach did not protrude out. Jennipoo informed us about this miracle garment called “Spanx” which starts at your chest and works it way down. Just where does all the excess fat go – up to your brain? Anyways, this garment sounds a little painful to somebody who won’t put on a pair of pants without an elastic waist.

This past Friday we took our brother sailing at the Point Claire Yacht Club. There is a wonderful program for physically challenged individuals of all ages which allow them to sail a boat. We discovered the program last year and it is just fantastic. There are three special boats which cannot tip or sink (thank goodness). The person is placed in the boat and escorted by a sailor who takes them out on the lake for an hour and a half. Except for getting a little too much sun on his head, the outing was a great success! I posted some pictures of his adventure for you to enjoy.

Now to the important stuff - we received wonderful metal and silver plated filigree beads this past week, so I spent time labelling and packaging. They are great to use as a focal. We also received sassy coloured rhinestones which look fantastic with lampwork beads – they just give the piece of jewellery that extra punch. We love incorporating them into our designs. Sissy and I are also putting together gorgeous Pandi necklaces, bracelets and accessories. The bracelets come in all sizes and can even fit children and teens. They make wonderful gifts. We will be putting our beads and finished jewellery onto Artfire and Etsy, so we will keep you posted. We walked into a bead store yesterday wearing our jewellery and all three sales people wanted our cards. They loved our beads, and really, no one in the city carries such a diverse selection of lampwork beads.

Well, we would love to hear from all of you, so let us know how you like our blog and what is happening around your way.

Ow, My Poor Finger!

2009-06-28T21:59:00.006-04:00

Well, its Sunday night, 9:14 p.m. and we are waiting for the water to be turned on so we can take a shower and go to bed! We just came back from a lovely walk in the heat and humidity. Oops, seemed that somebody parked over the hose and did something bad so now we have no water. The city has been fixing the water pipes in front of the house and have hoses all over the place, and its been weeks. Unfortunately there is one huge mother in front of our driveway which we have to run over all the time. We always seem to get stuck and the car emits a horrendous noise, I can just imagine what the bottom of our car looks like. I did have the foresight to go out yesterday and take pictures of the front of the driveway covered in rocks which covers a massive yellow pipe, and a huge blue hose covering our driveway. This way, when the muffler falls off, I will have proof!

We worked very hard today, as we do most days. When you run your own business there are no set hours, but we love it anyways. Had a little accident today – the window screen fell on my little finger. Yes, it hurt. No, Sissy was no help. Yes, she yelled at me and told me I was stupid. (Because I didn’t ask for her help). No, the nail has not fallen off YET! Yes, it is turning a lovely shade of blue. I am just happy it was just the screen and not the window, that it only fell a few inches instead of from two feet up, and it fell on my baby finger instead of my whole hand.

Update on the dress hunt, no luck yet. But I did come across a picture of Sissy in her brown velvet number with the Sateen vest. (Please see previous blog). I am posting it for your comments! Too bad she threw out the vest, otherwise she could have worn it to the upcoming events.

In response to the commentor (yes, I made up the word) of my previous blog – very witty indeed! But the flailing did not occur around the vicinity of the lily lamp. Indeed, the dress was stuck over her head, covering her eyes, but she was closer to the closet than the lamp. So the mystery still remains!

I will add the lamp mystery to the list of weird things that have happened in our new house. I had purchased a lovely perfume bottle a few years ago at an estate sale. There was no perfume remaining in the bottle and it never had a scent. After we moved in I noticed that occasionally, the bottle started smelling perfume. Why now, after a few years, and why only at certain times?

Tomorrow we start working on our Pandora-style bracelets, bangles and necklaces. We received some lovely new beads and we can’t wait to start creating! We will post some of our pieces for all to enjoy shortly. Well I have to go now and continue labelling and packaging our new shipment of beads. With any luck I will be finished by Christmas.

Sissy and I would love to read your comments so don’t be shy! Let us know if you enjoy reading our blog and let us know what is happening with you.

Monday morning - again!

2009-06-22T09:55:00.009-04:00

So it’s Monday morning – again! For some reason it seems to come around every seven days or so. And to top it off – summer has arrived. That’s good right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Sissy and I were honoured to be invited to not one – but two August weddings and we are thrilled. The only downside – fancy dresses. I was lucky enough that somebody donated a wonderful black beaded number. All I have to do is glue the hem and make it a little shorter so I don’t look too dumpy. The main problem, of course, is Sissy and her wedding attire. Let me preface this by saying that the last wedding she went to, after many, many hours and days of shopping around we finally came upon some brown number. I can’t recall if it was a long skirt or a dress (I try to block it out of my mind). But the worst part was the homemade vest that she insisted on sewing herself. Don’t get me wrong, Sissy is a great sewer, but this outfit will indeed be burned into my mind forever!!!

So it is shopping time again. She insists on pants, maybe a tuxedo suit, and I concur that it would be a good choice. Now all we have to do is scour the city to find it within the next two months – and counting down. Needless to say, there will be may fights and arguments over this. There will definitely be a time or two coming up when she will remind me how much time SHE had to spend to find me an appropriate suit to wear to one of my many events – it had to be just right (a jacket short enough so that it did not cover my knees) because I used to have to go up on stage a receive a wonderful bouquet of flowers that I ordered for myself beforehand. Sissy insisted that I looked like my eyes were going to bug out of my head and I stood there like a statue. I remember nothing, except maybe very bright lights.

We are working hard – Sissy entered over 130 new products on the beadandsave.com website. I am still taking the damn pictures! What a tedious job but I am almost finished. We received wonderful new lampwork beads and bead sets, as well as Pandies (Pandora-style beads). We also have necklaces and leather bracelets, and rubber and sterling silver stoppers. They are great because you can put as many beads on a bracelet, necklace or bangle and they do not move around.

We are finally creating some wonderful pieces of jewelry out of our wide range of beads. I would say it is the absolute best part of owning a bead company.

Mystery in the household, mystery in the household – Sissy’s lamp broke – but how??? She has a wonderful lamp in her bedroom (we call it the lily lamp because it has sort of petal shapes on the base). The base is white, and it is quite large. The other day she noticed a chip of glass on her table and saw that the lamp was indeed cracked in numerous places. We have to admit that the handyman was here to install the air conditioner in her room the other day, but the lamp was certainly not in the path from the door to the window. I do not want to think that he carried the sucker into the room, veered left fifteen feet, smashed the air conditioner into the lamp, veered right fifteen feet, and continued on his way across the room to the window. – and forgot to mention it!

If anyone can figure out how a large glass lamp just breaks please let us know. Any possible scenarios would certainly be very helpful.

Wait, after reading this, Sissy reminded me that it was indeed a long, skin tight, form-fitting VELVET dress that she had purchased for the wedding. The brown SATIN vest to cover certain body parts was just the "piece de resistance” and added that “I don't know what” to the outfit! Actually, I know exactly what it added but I am not putting it in print!

Well, time to go wash the breakfast dishes and get to work. Just received a big order! For those of you who worry about me and my fear of flying insects – don’t! Bugs are not a problem since I purchased my high voltage bug-killing racket. (see pix) One swing, I make instant contact – and the sucker fries! SSSSSSSSSSizzle!

2009-06-11T08:27:00.004-04:00

Its been a while since I've updated. Lots of happenings at the BeadandSave abode. We have received lots of new merchandise and are keeping busy cataloguing, taking pictures, and updating the site with the stock. We received lots of solid lampwork rondelles and rounds, as well as new bead sets, packages of fabulous lampwork beads, rhinestone rondelles, new Pandi glass beads in great colors and designs, more Pandi bracelets in silver plate and leather, as well as sterling silver troll bracelets. We also have great sterling silver stoppers which take the place of clips, and tiny rubber stoppers which allow you to use as many beads on your bracelets as you want. We will shortly be getting large filigree beads which make wonderful focals on any necklace. We are listening to our customers requests!
Our wide selection of beads are a big hit with our 'in-house' customers and they can spend hours at the store putting together a new piece.
On the home front, I have had a cold since Saturday night, my first in about three years. It hit hard and started off with a bad cough - which should have told me something since I usually end my colds with a cough. My body felt like I had been run over by a truck. Ever vigilant, Gail scoured the house for germs, not letting me touch anything for fear of contamination. She actually made a huge pot of chicken soup - however this was really for insurance in case she got sick too! Happy to report that my cold is on the downside now, but unhappy to report that Gail has it. Of course we are arguing as to whether she caught it from the same ingrate that gave it to me (my side) or whether she caught it from me (her side).
My friend lent me a DRESS for upcoming weddings in August - thanks Jen. I may have been sick but not sick enough to realize that I probably shed a couple of pounds during my period of non-eating, so I thought this would be a good time to try on the cute black number. I put it on over my head and got as far as my chest area. I was trapped. OMG - I was going to die with this dress over my head. Flailing my arms around I came upon a side zipper - phew. I asked Gail to undue the zipper, which she did hastily, catching some of my skin with the zipper. OUCH. OK things looked better now and it made sense how someone could actually wear this dress. So I put it on and started to do up the zipper .... even in my 'stuffed-up head' state I realized that there was no way in hell this zip was going for the gold. I guess that my body shape and stature (D & VS - dumpy and very short) does not make for an easy time finding something to wear. I shall persevere.
Another sighting last night - went into my room and there on the lampshade was a 747 - or a humongous bug with large wings. I immediately: pulled back in fright;
thought how do I kill this thing; called for Gail; realized that she ALWAYS misses and it could fly off and I will then have to search it out for the kill before I could actually sleep. I grabbed a shoe and whacked it hard, thus losing its death grip on the lampshade. I wacked it again on the table top a couple of times and finished it off with a kleenex and a flush. While I am a staunch feminist I do believe that this is really a job for a man. Most of the men I know will not flinch at massacring unwanted visitors (insects not people). I think it is the 'white knight' syndrome.
On a sadder note, a good friend of mine informed me that her daughter, Genevieve who lives in Paris, was in a bad car accident. She was left with a fractured scull and cheekbone and eye damage. They are doing surgery on her, so please include her in your prayers tonight.

2009-05-27T18:41:00.003-04:00

Good friends are hard to find and lose, never mind keep! Saturday night was one of those rare times when everything falls into place and you share one of those special “moments” that bind us to one another for a lifetime and beyond. We had spontaneously invited two very old friends from early high school over for the evening. The night was warm, the first of the summer for sitting outside on the balcony. So we each pulled out a chair (generously donated from another good friend) onto the front balcony, and because it is not wide, sat two aside facing each other. We then settled in for a nice gossip. We chatted noisily for a bit, when, whoa, all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye I spotted a humongous flying object coming right for me. (I realized after finding two wasps in the house in less two weeks that all creatures with wings found out that I had moved to Cote St. Luc). My first instinct was BEE. My next instinct was to run for it. I trampled over my friend the Drama Queen’s feet in the melee, and two others followed. The Brave Friend realized that the object was not going to attack (and could not make it through the door), and stayed outside. Too bad we could not all get through the door at the same time. Everyone knows that after 50 one tends to “spread” a little! When we made it into the house we just sat on the couch and laughed until our tummies ached. Reference was indeed made that it was only a moth. I did not care was species it was, as long as it had wings, it was the enemy. This also applies to butterflies.

After that horrible episode we calmed ourselves with Bubbie Ethel's marble cake with chocolate icing and Heavenly Hash. Need I say more? The evening was one of those memorable ones, that linked us together once again.

Back to business, Karen and I have settled into the new abode and are loving it. We are working hard to catch up with a long list of things we have to do. We just received a new shipment of lampwork and glass beads which are to die for – we just can’t wait to get our hands on them and start creating some fantastic pieces. I see the beads and just want to sit down and make jewelry!

We also love our new "Put it Together Yourself" Desks. Yes, they are still holding up nicely.

Well, enough for now, I just thought I would share my Saturday night with you. Have to go fill up sinks, pails and the bathtub - they are closing our water tomorrow for most of the day. Let's hear from all of you out there with your latest happenings.

How to make a million dollars

2009-05-15T21:35:00.003-04:00

OK - so you want to be rich.........PRE-ASSEMBLED FURNITURE. That's the ticket to making money. Remember in the good old days when you bought a piece of furniture and it didn't come in a box that weighed half a ton?
Well Gail and I bought two desks, or should I say two big crates filled with wood and parts, that came on Wednesday. Let me preface this by saying we are not assembly-novices. Oh no. We recently put together a large TV Stand, which if I say so myself, came out pretty darn good. The only problem was that we could not put together the bottom two drawers. This was not our fault - the instructions were wacky and they got their left and right sides mixed up. We didn't need the drawers anyways.
I will give you a tip about assembling large pieces of furniture - construct it in the room where it will live. Let me tell you, it could be difficult getting through a doorway once it has been constructed. OY. At the beginning, Gail did say to put it together in the office but thinking that there was more room in the Beadroom, and it would be easy to transfer since it had a curved bottom, I said no. So after finishing three-quarters of the desk, I thought now would be a good time to move it to the office. We could not get it through the doorway. We tried everything including moving shelves filled with beads to try to get it through the second doorway in the Beadroom leading into the kitchen. That worked, but we couldn't get it through the other kitchen door. Back into the Beadroom and much moving of more furniture we managed to get it out of the Beadroom and on its way to the office. Of course it wouldn't fit through the office doorway. We thought about taking off the door from its hinges but it was painted over. So we took off the top pieces of the desk and pushed it through the doorway. And I mean 'pushed'. We then had to turn the piece over, so - against Gail's many warnings - I grabbed on to the silver bar that would later hold the top of the desk, and used it has a lever. OPS again. The whole bar plus much of the pressed wood as well as the screws attached to it (since it had been bolted down in step 2)came off in my hand. To Gail's credit, she did not say a word and I proceeded to find some craft glue and glued it back together. It didn't look too promising but I left it and we completed the desk.

The second desk assembly went like a charm until it came time to put up the main piece and we discovered that it didn't fit. Time for supper. I pondered this problem while digesting and after supper I loosened up some screws while hoping the whole thing wouldn't fall apart on us. Much grunting and groaning later, we have two completed desks up. The part that I had glued together with craft glue held like a charm and we are off and running.

And who ever moves into this house after us will have two nice desks whether they want them or not.

We have also received a great shipment of beads which are now being processed. As well, we will have a Pandora Gallery and many new jewelry pieces for our Design Gallery. Have a great long holiday weekend for those of you in Canada.

We have moved!

2009-05-05T08:11:00.002-04:00

Well, I am happy to say that the move is over and we, and our beads, are safely ensconced in our new home. We have schlepped out the last of the garbage bags and boxes for recycling and almost everything is put away and organized. I probably would have even lost a couple of pounds with the exertion except that people keep buying us chocolates!

The new abode is sunny and bright, and I have found that every speck of dust shows up. Oy - that can be problematic. When you are used to having your bedroom blinds closed all the time (close proximity to creepy neighbours) having a blossoming tree right outside your window is a real treat.

It has also been heartwarming to know that we have so many wonderful friends. The offers of help have been amazing and we feel truly blessed. Special thanks to Pearl and Bill - who actually installed our blinds!

It is taking awhile to know where everything is. The other morning I sprayed TANA Shoe Protector in my hair instead of hair spray! I was so tired that I didn't realize what the smell was! But at least I didn't have to worry when it rained. Maybe they should market that stuff for your hair - it sure beats the frizzies.

Have to go now and finish my breakfast. Keep safe everyone and remember to wash your hands, stay away from anyone who sniffles, and hope that this pandemic is soon over. Like Gilda Radner used to say, "It's always something". Love from Sissy.

Karen

Sissy's First Blog

2009-04-16T10:19:00.003-04:00

O.K.! Lets Blog!!! So last night I am lying in bed, in the basement with all the lovely beads (and dust) feeling the pressure of writing on our blog. So I am thinking - blog - funny word.....what if we used it as a substitute for the F word? Shut the blog up! Blog You! What the blog should I do now? You bloggin idiot! Naa, doesn't really work.

As I type I am wearing one of my beautiful Pandi bracelets - a pink and green combo. Yesterday I adorned my wrist with a stunning bracelet of turquoise and silver. I can't wait to move and get all set up so that I can start creating gorgeous pieces of jewelry. I also intend on adding new pictures to the Design Gallery as well as a new page strictly for Pandi jewelry and accessories. I will try though, to take pix of the ones that I am currently creating and posting it on the blog for everyone to appreciate.

Only 13 more days until the big move. I know this because I check off each day on my calendar. I guess you could say that I can't wait to move! Sissy and I are almost all packed, except for the thousands of beads downstairs. I can honestly say that I do not look forward to packing up those beads! What a job, and I can't put it off for much longer otherwise we will be in the new house and they won't - unfortunately not an option!

Well Sissy and I are still in one piece and have not killed each other yet, although yesterday morning it came pretty close. Luckily I let it roll off me like water off a duck. We decided to take a break yesterday and did a little shopping. My pants size went up again. Blog, Blog, Blog! I also purchased T-shirts - from the men's department. Who the hell can fit into those T's at the Gap, unless you a pre-prubescent teen. Certainly not moi. Sissy also decided that we would eat a non-fattening lunch. I was really dreaming of fries but agreed to a sub. What was that florescent orange crap on the inside top of the bread anyways. My guess is melted Cheese Whiz, even though I specified NO CHEESE! I thought it was revolting and managed to choke down most of it. In order to make up for this lunch disaster we treated ourselves to an ice cream at snack time.

I have to admit I wrote a much longer blog but Sissy made me delete it. Something about court and lawyers. So this is it for now. For my first blog I think that it turned out o.k.! More to come so watch for it.

2009-04-14T22:34:00.002-04:00

So I have survived my first blog. I guess you noticed the name change but there is so much to bitch about and only so much beading. Gail and I love to bitch almost as much as we love to bead.
So, someone informed me that the word ' blog' came from 'web log'. Who decided that it should be 'blog' and not 'wog'. It sounds pretty catchy to me......hum, I think I 'll go do some wogging now, or what should I say on my next wog?
It took a while to get the blog- wog up and running but things are running smoother now. I have to learn how make the comments show up at the bottom instead of in the side box.
Someone also told me that the background is too dark so I lightened it up a bit. She also complained about the spelling so I will use spellcheck from now on so as not to offend anyone's grammar sensibilities!
You may or may not know - depends who is reading this, that we will be moving at the end of the month. What a job that is. Our beautiful beads are really heavy - luckily we hired movers, who will probably end up with hernias after this move. Hope they have insurance!

My first blog !

2009-04-12T15:14:00.002-04:00

Well here I am - my first attempt at blogging - where did that word come from anyways? Blogging - sounds weird, but still not as bad as twitter. Almost like jogging and that's too much work.
Don't really know what to write so I may as well start at the beginning. My twin, Gail and I decided to start our own beading web site. We love beads - seriously - we actually do. Beads let you be creative without too much fuss and bother, and you end up able to wear your creations and let everybody comment on them. It is a great way to feed your ego! Even if people hate them they are too embarrased to dis them while you are wearing it with a big smile on your face!
A few years back we started to make our own jewelry and just kept buying those beads. After a while we had so many beads we started selling them at home and then had visions of actually selling them on a web site.
Really, we knew little of what was involved- and both of us had full time jobs. Then sissy lost her job after 13 years working in a community non-profit organization. After about a year and a half later, I decided I wanted to keep my sanity and had enough of my job. Here was our opportunity to fulfill a dream. We found suppliers, not an easy task, and hired someone to help us launch the site (RED CARPET WEB PROMOTIONS). I use capitals because there are few people who can deal with sissy and myself at the same time and remain calm and retain their sanity, and Jason was great. The only time he got a little nervous was when I suggested we start another site to sell finished jewelry!!!!!!! Sheesh.
It took almost 7 months from start to finish - ordering, receiving and packaging the beads. Getting the site up and taking all the pictures and doing the descriptions of all the products. Gail took over 10,000 pictures.
We were so busy we had little time to worry about the recession hitting and the effect it would
have on our future business venture.
Actually, we figure that if people bead as a hobby, it is an inexpensive way to pass the time, but better still, at least 65% of people who purchase beads do so to resell. I heard someone on televison say that the recession is a great opportunity for new ventures so hopefully ours will succeed and will give others the opportunity to build a way to gain some extra income.

Our friends have been amazing during this process. They have given their 100% support, along with their ideas and offers to help in any way they can. Now that we are up and running, they are promoting our site and our products and we are so thankful to all of them. The Pandies are really a big hit as they are much cheaper than the Pandoras but just as nice, the lampwork beads are gorgeous, and the Design Gallery has prompted requests for ready made jewelry, so that will be our next project.

Gail and I are now working together on a daily basis. You can stay tuned to the blog just to see if we end up killing each other or not! Seriously though we both have different strengths and hopefully can merge the two into a successfully run business doing something we both love.
Gail will be participating in this blog and she is way funnier than I am. You can find our site by visiting at www.beadandsave.com