scary weather

We had awful weather yesterday. Big storm systems moved across the state and the region, dropping large hail (quarter to golfball size) in a few places. There were reports of 30 tornados in the midwest throughout the day. We were fortunate in that we only got very heavy rain (about 3/4" in less than an hour), but at 4 p.m. with the storm right overhead it was nearly completely dark outside. Makes a person glad for a basement shelter to go to.

Coming up in two weeks is Art in the Garden, an annual event in our community which combines a tour of several area home/private gardens with the opportunity to view and purchase original artwork. I have participated in this very enjoyable event for several years as an art exhibiter and plan to take part again this year. Since what I usually have on display (and what really appeals to an impulse buyer) is jewelry, I need to get cracking. Fortunately, jewelry making is not an especially time consuming process and I expect to have quite a few new pieces finished quickly. I have a good stock of dyed freshwater pearls on hand and last night took stock of my other beads and findings. Other than probably needing to purchase some clasps and other small bits and pieces I seem to be in pretty good shape. I'll photograph some pieces as I finish them, and plan to put some jewelry on Etsy as well.

I am happy to report I've finished all my garden swap pieces and have mailed off all but two. This was such a fun swap. We'll have to do it again sometime!