discombobulated .......

and I'm not sure why. 
It's not that I'm not getting things done or that bad things are happening or anything I can put my finger on.  I guess I've got a lot on my table, literally.

It's just been things like closing out and reconciling the consignment account at Artisans on Taylor that really make my head hurt.  Probably why I hate consignment.

Then there's the new computer - lord mercy that's a lot of work and is still very much a work in progress.  Little things like my old accounting software won't work on Windows 7, so I bought new software which is just sitting there because it's an absolute blank slate and I've got a ton of info that has to be plugged in before I can use it.  Today when I needed to print an invoice, I had to alter an old purchase order form and plug everything in manually.  I've got a 60 day money-back guarantee, so if anyone has any opinions about Bead Manager Pro, I'd love to know.

And then there's this inexplicable obsession I've got with the color blue - you know that luscious dark blue with a bit of green in it.  What is that color?  Not really peacock, darker blue but with more green than the indigo ... where's my box of Crayolas when I need them?  I think it started with my need a few months ago for Japanese indigo cloth.  I do love these panels - that's my "self-portrait" in cloth behind me ... vintage Japanese indigo dyed hemp, raw linen from Provence and unbleached muslin ... stitched together with red silk up my "spine", studded with raw diamonds.  The muslin's the old me, the linen is me as I am now, all of it held in the embrace of a dark blue sea.

But the blue thing is quite strange.  I've always thought when somebody said their favorite color was blue, that was kind of like saying you like music - well, duh ... can we be a bit more specific here?  But I am full on obsessed.  I've got some blue tourmaline crystals OTW and, since the gem show is next week, I'm trying to hold out and not buy the faceted ones on Etsy.  If you look at my Etsy favorites, there's a slew of blue.  I just ordered some traditional striped Provencal napkins and table runner in blue.  And here's my new product packaging.   The midnight blue tissue paper and the chocolate brown pillow boxes are gorgeous.  I ordered them from 800Gift Box.  The company I've always used has cut way back on what they offer and I found this company which has a great selection, good pricing, reasonable shipping and very fast. 

Of course, I'll have to redo my labels, 'cause they just don't show up on the dark brown boxes.  And then there's this predominantly blue tile image that has found its way onto my Talismans hang tags.

Here's the card with the faded out tile image in the background and a not quite so faded image of an astrolabe.

And then there's all the other things waiting in the wings ... I'm dying to get going with the How to Rule Your World book and audio sessions that I won from Hiro's June give-away and then I'm trying to muster my focus to dive into a new exercise program.

And a major theme behind all of this new stuff is the absolute knowing that I'm getting ready for something big - but I don't really know what.  It's like packing for a trip but you don't know where you're going.  I'm laying the groundwork, bolstering up my infrastructure, designing all the bits and pieces and merging them into a coherent whole.  I'm just going with the flow and seeing where it takes me.  I'm also working on some new medallions with the words feet downstream stamped in the back.  I love that image.  It's one of the few useful things I picked up from all those years of working at the Nantahala Outdoor Center ... when you fall out of your raft or boat, get on your back and point your feet downstream.  A good thought to end with. 

This will be me signing off, going with the flow ... feet downstream.

l i g a - kvk

p.s.  tomorrow's the last day of my Etsy anniversary sale - 31 years, 31% off!