SimplyBea

X-change by Small Change Collective

SimplyBea — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:05:09 +0000

This exhibition is a little bit different.

Brought to you by the “Small Change Collective”, this group of 10 artists have all produced their work without concern for what money it might bring to them. Instead they are happy to trade their art for (almost) whatever you are willing to offer them!

A trailer for a framed limited edition print? Yes! A couple of bottles of champagne for a necklace? Sure thing! A massage for a polymer clay dragon? Why not!

I am taking part in this exhibition with 10 other talented artists.

Some sneak peeks of what I am working on ……….

Come and check out the final results for yourself at the Santos Conservation Centre.
The opening is on 26th February from 2-4pm.
Come along, bring your fiends and spread the word…….looking forward to seeing you there.

~SimplyBea~

2012 – exciting start to the year of the water dragon……

SimplyBea — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:12:33 +0000

Happy Lunar New Year to everyone.

I know I have not posted in a long time, been busy, busy, busy and now I am baaack with LOTS of new inspiration and creative energy!

February will be a BIG month for me, new work and an exhibition with 10 other talented artists. A theme with a twist!

………. stay tuned…….. more to come……..in the mean time…..

GONG XI FA CAI !!!

Wishing you and your loved ones a year of happiness and good health!!

~~~ SimplyBea ~~~

Frustration…..customer service vs $$$$$$

SimplyBea — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:03:35 +0000

Well….wouldn’t you know it…..
I virtually ‘live’ with my iPad since the day I have had it, it has my address book, diary, notes, books, movies, music, and…….yes…..my magazine subscriptions…which are now totally unavailable to me!!!!

* NEW: Experiencing crashes after updating to iPad app version 2.1.1? A few users have reported that the app crashes a few minutes into using it. The problem can be remedied immediately by deleting your existing app and reinstalling from scratch in the App Store. You’ll still have access to all of your magazines, however, if you do this you will need to re-download issues. We are in the process of submitting a fix to Apple for those who prefer not to reinstall.

THAT message has been up on the Zinio site for a couple ofbweeks now and when I sent an email to their supportt team to query the ETA….nada….straight up first response was to delete app and re-download ALL my magazines.
Follow up response was curt and not helpful…won’t go there….

Humph…..for people with huge/unlimited internet limits and fast speeds…not a problem.

This country lass has to deal with a funky, unreliable, limited satellite service….so…..guess I am just gonna have to wait and just pretend I do not have those magazines and then hopefully when it is fixed…..it will be like Christmas….assuming it will be fixed by then.

Oh well….another instance of ‘customer service’ from busines that says….gimme gimme gimme…..and oh yeah, when it’s broke…..whatever…..

~~~ SimplyBea ~~~

Lentils and lots of yummy ingredients….

SimplyBea — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:22:56 +0000

Yes, it has been another hectic period getting beads ready for Fine Art Kangaroo Island so it hasn’t helped that I have been unwell for most of the last fortnight.
There’s been a bug (or a few) making the rounds here on the island and one of them caught up with me as well…..I thought it was just a short visit but two weeks later, I still feel stuffed up, congested and not too great.
On the plus side, the headaches and fever which I started with seem to have said goodbye….which is nice.

Now……the slow cooker has been busy yet again, it is just such a great way to cook, reduces the time to monitor jow a dish is going along, if it’s getting burnt or going dry…..all that fuss just isn’t there plus the bonus of a lovely pot of yummy food to see us over a few days.
This morning…lots of yummy goodies went in, we’ll see how it turns out but I am already getting some great smells and getting hungry!

Lentils, zucchini, carrots, celery, potatoes, cauliflower with lots of yummy spices……mmmmm

What are you having for dinner tonight?

Catch you later…..
~~~SimplyBea~~~

Yummy stew coming up……a la slow cooker….

SimplyBea — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:21:36 +0000

Well, it’s still cold and windy so a slow cooked stew would be just the thing as well as being an easy peasy solution for days with huge to-do lists…..
Only problem is that even though this is a 6L pot, it always seems to be too small for everything I want to put in……so today the leeks had to stay out…..

Here’s the loaded up pot now…..should look quite different by the time Paul comes home from work…..
  

Ticked job #1 – cook dinner…..now on to the next one…. Make some lotion bars and lip balms, weigh up oils for soaos I am making to take to Mum back in Malaysia…..

Catch you later!

~~~ SimplyBea ~~~

Not just child’s play…….@ Fine Art KI

SimplyBea — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 06:38:53 +0000

After such a stressful couple of months and this, that and the other…..it’s actually quite nice to have something to look forward to.
Fine Art KI will be launching an exhibition early October in conjunction with the annual KI Art Feast and it’s a fun theme so I am very excited that Fleur has invited me to play….
I have been experimenting with handmade cane and murrini and it has been so much fun.
I am using my murrini slices with my canes in beads to create 3D worlds in the beads.
Mainly little sea critters moving amongst the sea grass and kelp and just trying to keep it colourful and cheerful.

These are beads i have just pulled out of the kiln from the last couple of nights and they have all just been cleaned.

Now…..hmmmmm…..so many ideas, which ones should i go for????
How should I finish them off? Some of them have ended up being quite big with all he encasing….well, that’s the next step….

I finished last night with a fun play bead….

This one will probably stay home with me…a cheeky little imp…..

Catch you later…
~~~ SimplyBea ~~~

The flu bug…..got to me today…

SimplyBea — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:31:11 +0000

Well, guess I am not superuuman after all…..the bug did get me and thankfully not the drippy nose…. Just headachy, stuffed nose and slight fever.
So I decided to take the day off and hope to kick it by resting for the day.
Too stuffed to do much but going to try posting a pic from the iPad here.

I have been having fun trying out these seascapes with little critters lately.
Just have to try and keep them smaller as they end up being quite big (for me anyway) from the numerous layers of encasing….

Going back to bed for a rest…catch you later…*sniff*
~~~ SimplyBea ~~~

A sad decision…….

SimplyBea — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:30:13 +0000

Well.. it has been on my mind for a while now and as the deadline draws closer, I have to make a final decision………
Much as I enjoy making soaps for sale – I will no longer be offering cold processed soaps for sale.
It is a legal requirement to register in order to sell cold processed soaps and whilst I have a good following, it doesn’t justify the cost of keeping up with the registration.
The other deciding factor was that since I got into soapmaking, there seems to be so many more people who are into it and they make the coloured and scented soaps which I won’t do as I like a pure product. The island is too small to have that many soapmakers and I am not ready to make the committment to sell large quantities online to make it a worthwhile effort.
I like the idea that my soaps can be used ANYWHERE and they do NOT pollute the environment with chemical additives like chemically derived fragrance, colour and moisturising agents……..so, sadly it is the end of an adventure I enjoyed.
Soooo…… if you REALLY want some of my cold processed soap, it will have to be on an exchange basis and only IF I have sufficient to spare.

SimplyBea Soaps

I will still continue making my soaps as I totally enjoy them and I can tell from my own skin that it is worth the effort. I have not had to use any moisturising lotions on my body nor have I had to use any conditioner after shampooing so it has paid off and I will continue to use and make my own soaps for family and friends too,
This also means that I will have more play time for my glass hobbies and just because I won’t be making CP soap doesn’t mean I can’t make and sell MP soap!

~~~ SimplyBea on Kangaroo Island ~~~

It’s been a very long time……

SimplyBea — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:36:09 +0000

So….how quickly time flies by especially when you are NOT having fun…..
I haven’t been feeling great for quite a while now, emotional roller coasters, stress at work and cold wet weather hasn’t helped one bit.

Well…..it feels like I am finally back on track and looking ahead again.
I have just had a really great period on the torch having fun all over again playing with glass.
That makes a lot of difference…pressure is off, no stress, no deadlines…just letting the glass melt and the energy flow…….
No pics now, camera battery went flat on me last weekend, but I managed to get a lovely set of seven Chakra pieces to take out to Rustic Blue Gallery for their August exhibition.

I should be out in the caravan tonight melting glass but the warmth of a cozy fire kicking back on the lounge with iPad in hand had a certain charm compared to starting up in a freeIng cold studio after a cold day at work……what would YOU have done?

So…hopefully this means I am back on track and there will be more frequent posts and hopefully some pics of my work.

Til next post……stay warm, stay tuned…..
~~~ SimplyBea ~~~
Kangaroo Island

Running out of time….!!!

SimplyBea — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:53:48 +0000

Well, I had intended to finish the Flood Relief fundraising by the end of February but I have run out of time and February ends on Monday!

I have decided to extend this through to all of March as there are also 2 community markets where I plan to have a stall and that will also give me more time to get the beads in to Kingscote for people to look at and pick from (and for me to make some more!!!).

On top of the proceeds from the beads I am making specially for this fundraiser, I will also be making beads for the Beads of Courage program so I hope my new tools arrive before my next break in April!

~~~ SimplyBea keeping busy on Kangaroo Island ~~~