Lots of reading, not so much beading

If you've followed by blog recently, (or my Facebook, or my GoodReads) you'll see that I've been reading a TON of books lately -- like at least one a day. But you'll also see that I haven't been doing a lot of beading.

I sold a lot of beads in my Lori2 store and I'm working on a large custom order for a shop, but right now -- I'm spending a lot of time in bed. I'm taking new medicine that makes me so tired that I could fall asleep as I right this. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh hey. I'm back, haha.

(bed by tarik yousef, http://www.etsy.com/shop/tarikyousef )

So instead of jewelry, I thought I'd share the books I've read. You can click on each to take you to the Amazon.com.

1. Other People's Rejection Letters: 150 Letters You're Happy You Didn't Get

2. The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

3. Blockade Billy (a Stephen King novella)

4. UR (a Stephen King novella specifically about Kindles)

5. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

6. The War (written to go with Ken Burn's documentary)

and I'm now reading "The Things They Carried", which is about Vietnam.

Have you read any of these? Do you have any suggestions? I'm an open book (haha) but am not fond of Westerns of Harlequin Romances.

It's good to take a break -- I hope in a week or two, after the side effects have worn off, I'll be back to normal, because I have a lot of ideas running through my head, at least.

Happy reading, happy beading!

New Etsy Store for Beads!

I finally uploaded a few small sets of my own handmade lampwork spacers. They're my humble beginnings, but maybe you'll like some of them! The shop is www.lori2.com, and as I learn more and more, the beads will become more intricate and varied.

Thanks for looking!

New post on An Artist's Year Off

I just posted a question on my other blog, An Artist's Year Off, and would be interested in your comments! Click on over to give me your opinions!

Jewelry and Books

Hey guys!

I'm slowly coming back to the land of the living. I'm gutting it out because I'm tired of being tired and in bed all the time and today even managed to drag myself to the gym AND put in a regular jewelry-making work day, which did wonders for me. Of course, it's RAINING again (cue another headache) so no photos but suffice it to say, I've been working with lots of color, including some of my own beads that I've made.


One of the good things about being under the weather is I've been able to finish a bunch of books. I'd been reading a bunch of books about the royals (the Tudors, to be specific) but jumped forward to WWI ("All Quiet on the Western Front") and WWII ("Clara's War"). Both were excellent books but sobering -- they really made me appreciate what I have and how lucky I am to have it, and made me realize what occurred should never, ever happen again.

Right now I'm reading a book that has my full attention, "The Help".


I just started the book today but am finding it hard to put down. I love books like this, books that completely take the mind away from whatever else is going on around me.

I hope to have pictures of new jewelry up soon, and oh hey, the new web site AND a new Etsy store for beads will be open soon as well! So stay tuned!


(Lori Anderson designs jewelry for www.lorianderson.net and also writes the blog An Artist's Year Off.)

Please excuse me....

While I rejuvenate a bit. Our weather here in Maryland has fluctuated 20 degrees almost every other day and it's wreaked havoc on the migraines, as the fluid around my brain acts like a barometer and well, you can imagine. I'll be back when things settle down a bit.

How To Enjoy Mother's Day

Here's how I'm enjoying Mother's Day at my house:

* Wake up late after reading until 2:30am to a Starbucks mocha.

* Open Mother's Day cards while deciding to spend the day in pajamas.

* Start browsing Amazon.com for books to populate my Kindle, thanks to Zack's gift certificate.


* Be thankful I have a swell kid.

Newest Jewelry on the Web Site

I made two necklaces, totally unlike each other -- one with vintage lucite and aquamarine, the other wild and funky with etched lampwork and pearls. Who knew that sedate pearls could join a riot?

See more at www.lorianderson.net.

"Blue Flower"

"Sunshiny Oceans"

I'm in a book -- Easy Beading Vol. 6

I was thrilled to get my copy of Kalmbach Books "Easy Beading Vol.6" today for a number of reasons, one of those reasons being I have two projects in it! The book is fantastic, a treasure trove of tutorials in all types of mediums -- the perfect book for those who are both beginners and old-hats alike. It has more than 80 projects and 1,000 color photos so you won't be at a loss for inspiration!


On page 152 you'll find my "Pretty in Pink" necklace, a simple and easy piece to make using vintage lucite from The Beadin' Path.


Then on page 177 (and also featured in the index, woot!) is my "Clusters of Color" necklace, which is my favorite cha-cha style, this time using copper chain and a mix of purple, yellow, and caramel bead soup (I do indeed love my bead soup!)


The book is on sale at Kalmbach's site as well as your local book store, so check it out!


Lori Anderson designs jewelry full-time in her studio in Easton, MD. Her web site is www.lorianderson.net and she also blogs at An Artist's Year Off.

ArtBeads.com bead review -- Spring Beads!

This month's theme from ArtBeads.com is "Summer Time", and I decided to make a fun, flirty bracelet in my favorite cha-cha style. (Click to enlarge the photo).


I chose a mix of products:

Artisan lampwork beads
Charms of butterflies, dragonflies, and hummingbirds
Czech glass flowers



I wired all the lampwork beads together with pink Swarovski crystals and dangled the glass flowers and the pewter charms from rings in between each bead. A design like this is time-consuming, but oh so worth it on the wrist!


ArtBeads.com has tons of lampwork glass that you can buy to make your own fun summery bracelets, and loads of flower beads and charms to accent them. Head on over, and have fun designing!

Charms: http://www.artbeads.com/charms.html

Glass Beads: http://www.artbeads.com/glass-beads.html