Italy!

I arrived safely in Napoli after quite a bumpy flight across the pond. Those of you who know me, know how much I enjoy flying! I hope it is better going back! It is so great to be here at this time of year. I am staying at my friend Giulia's beautiful home and having such a wonderful time. Her home is decorated beautifully for the holidays and I wish I could bring a group here at this time of year as there is a special feeling in the air as Christmas approaches. Giulia raises Siberian Huskies and there is a new litter! They are darling and I will try to post a photo of these little beauties!

The weather is crisp and cool during the day and cold at night. You can smell the wood fires burning in the homes and it just sets the mood. It has been great seeing friends and and having those traditional Neapolitan meals with them. Very relaxing. Lest you think all that I am doing is playing, I have been working on the book and making new pieces. I seem to get quite a bit done while I am here.

Today after a lunch with Giulia's family, I am off to Rome for my course that begins tomorrow. I am looking forward to this and to seeing Rome at the holiday season.

More later,

Maggie

Okay, so I am not so great at keeping up with the blog thing! I will give it another try. After a rough Autumn, things are finally settling down. Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes on Facebook. It was so great to hear from everyone. I had a great birthday. I was driving home from the Holiday Craft Show in Morristown, NJ where I had a good weekend. I met some wonderful people. I fell in love with the work of Elizabeth Rubidge - among many others! Her felted scarves are just wonderful. I had to have one for my birthday! Take a look at her website: www.feltedgarden.com. I just love my new scarf - very chic and warm!

On my drive home I was accompanied by my favorite artist Sting. His new CD is just lovely and certainly put me in the holiday spirit.

During the Fall, I had some great teaching gigs starting with Iowa. I had such a good time with the gals there. Fran is a wonderful cook and hostess! I had fun with the gals at Crystal Creations in Florida and again in New York with Beadventure and Sherry Serafini! What a great group - I had a blast. Last but not least, I was with the Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild in the Detroit area. They are one of the best bead societies in the country and I had so much fun seeing old friends and making new ones.

I am busy and will continue being busy into the next year writing a book for Lark. I am so thrilled to be doing this book. It is a challenge but I am enjoying the process. The book will be out in September of 2011 and as I said this is a real thrill for me. I have been developing many new projects based on historical jewelry, mosaic patterns & knots and architecture. What a great experience.

Tomorrow I am off to ITALY!!! I am going to Naples to see friends and then to Rome for a micromosaic course. I have been playing with micromosaics with seed beads for years and I have wanted to learn the technique for the past 10 years. This is a dream come true for me. I hope to have time to post some blogs while I am on my trip. Of course, I am most looking forward to spending time with my Neapolitan friends, wine and good food in the evenings.

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and hope to post more soon.

Maggie

Buon Giorno! I have been up since 4:30 a.m. for the third morning in a row! I love to see a pretty sunrise but this is ridiculous.

The pictures above are the projects for the Beading by the Bay Retreat in San Francisco in March, 2010 with Marcia DeCoster, Jean Campbell and me. Here is the website for all the info you need: http://www.beadingbythebay.com. Thank you Marcia with helping me with the directions on how to post the photos and link.

Today is a busy day. I am off to Iowa tomorrow to teach at Your Design Ltd. I am looking forward to returning. I had such a lovely time last year with all the gals. So today I am printing, collating and packing.

I just finished a lovely book, The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato. Good read, particularly if you have been to Venice and Murano. The author really captured the city.

Off to pack!

Welcome!

Okay, I am going to give this blog thing a try. I find it kind of funny since it takes me months to put out a newsletter but here I go. I am home after weeks on the road and a trip to NJ to help my mom move into a new home after 38 years. A tough time since we were all missing my dad but he was definitely with us in spirit. Ray and I rented a UHaul to take home some of mom's beautiful antiques. I have a new (old) bedroom set which I just love. The headboard and dresser are beautiful wood pieces from the 1800s with hand-painted cherubs and the goddess Diana. She also gave me two wonderful antique porcelain lamps with depictions of the Bacchus rites. After some research, we found out that they are from the Capodimonte studios in Naples!!! I think they found the right home - just beautiful. In the process of moving these new pieces into our home, we have been cleaning out attics, closets and getting rid of quite a bit. I find it very refreshing - kind of a new start with old memories from my childhood.

But today it is back to beading (yeah!) and working on some new pieces. One is for the Ireland Beadventure in 2010. Macha's Torc is almost finished and it has been quite an experience. The final product is almost never how I envisioned it when I started the design. It's like giving birth!

I am also so excited about the Beading by the Bay retreat in San Francisco next March with Marcia DeCoster and Jean Campbell. Once I figure out how to post the event photos, I will do so but in the meantime, visit the beautiful website for any info. The site is: www.beadingbythe bay.com.

The weather here is gorgeous! The air conditioning is finally off, windows wide open, and slight hints of Autumn - my favorite season.