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I am now blogging on a REAL blogging site and will eventually turn this page into something else very exciting. Stay tuned....
April 15, 2008
I am FINALLY feeling great and had a very productive bead making day today. I will post a few teaser photos tomorrow, but I doubt I'll list anything new for sale as I have two shows in less than two weeks and I still haven't looked to see how much I have stashed away. I am a little nervous my booth will be quite bare. However, I am nervous every single time and yet my table always looks full. So, I will try my hardest not to worry about it.
I am just thrilled that I have no commitments the rest of the week and can spend some quality time with my torch and maybe get some PMC projects done that I've been dreaming about lately. I love that stuff, but it's nerve wracking to use it because that little bit of silver clay costs so much, that I hate to waste a single flake of it. Whereas I don't worry about wasting glass on experimenting and making ugly beads. Well, unless it's my precious River Rock. Once that's gone, it's gone forever and that will be a sad day for me.
The ISLAGA meeting went very well. I love seeing my glass friends and meeting new ones. Everyone enjoyed making vitrigraph stringers, wheeling and dealing at the "garage sale", chatting and eating.
My son had an assignment to write the best and worst part of his weekend in his journal. He said the worst part was the ISLAGA meeting being at our house because all these crazy women came over. LOL!
I promise photos for tomorrow!
April 9, 2008
Well, spring break ended and then I got sick the first day back. I can barely tolerate leaving the horizontal position for more than a few minutes at a time. However, I am checking my emails at least once a day and decided to do a quick update here. So, if you need anything from me, I will get back to you as soon as I am able. It just may not be as quickly as my usual response time.
Don't forget that I have vitrigraph stringers in my etsy: www.glassaddictions.etsy.com They are great by themselves or on other COE 96 glass. I love using them because they look completely different than regular twisted cane.
Here's a bead using it the vitrigraph stringers (the green cane and blue cane. The solid blue cane is a veiled cane I got from Robin of Glass Diversions):
April 4, 2008
Will spring break ever end???? I can only manage to accomplish stuff very late at night and I am tired. I listed some stuff on Etsy (finally!) You can access it from the menu on the left under "Available Work" or go directly to www.glassaddictions.etsy.com
My goal is to list at least one item per day without depleting my entire inventory because I have two shows in the next 3 weeks. It's a balancing act...I am hoping to get another item up tonight, I just have to take some photos.
Good night!
April 1, 2008
My daughter and I just got back from Chicago very early in the morning this morning. We accompanied my husband and son to Chicago for their flight to Colorado for some spring break skiing. I hate skiing. My daughter hates anything I hate. Or at least it seems that way.
Anyway, we went to Chicago a couple days early so that we could do some family stuff before they flew off. We spent an entire day at the Science and Industry Museum, which has a REALLY cool exhibit about glass right now called The Glass Experience. I wanted to study everything, but the kids aren't quite as interested in studying all things glass. Personally, I recommend going without kids. LOL! There were a couple windows that were actual Tiffany windows. I showed the kids how they are plated in multiple areas and pointed out how it adds interest, depth, shadows, etc. They did show a little spark of interest in that and tried to find areas of plating on their own.
After the boys left for Colorado on Monday, us girls had a nice breakfast, a dip in the deserted pool, then a drive to Crystal Lake to visit my husband's aunt. His aunt is only a year older than him and she has a daughter that was born about 6 weeks before ours. I adore this woman and always enjoy our visits. However, I usually leave feeling guilty because I completely talk her ear off. I guess it's the result of very little adult conversation in my life. She has a plaque in her home that I just love. I always forget about it after we leave, and then always enjoy reading it again when we visit. It says something to the effect of: To great women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. I probably totally butchered that saying, but I do love it.
On the agenda for tomorrow: listing beads for sale and lampworking supplies on my Etsy. I will post it when I've gotten something up there. My awesome friend Robin Koza will be helping me with the process so I don't totally screw it up. The reason I'm going to Etsy is that I don't really understand how the shopping cart on this site works. Because of that, I've been very reluctant to list things for sale. Hopefully Etsy will reduce my anxiety and be super user friendly.
March 14, 2008
WHAT?!?!?!?! It's already the middle of March?!?!?!?!?! Shocking it is just flying right by! I bought stuff to decorate for spring last week (we have a bunch of "niches" in our house that create extra work for me by having to change them out periodically) and that night we got a snow storm and the kids missed another day of school. I really felt like I jinxed myself. Of course, I never look at the weather forecast. It's one of those things. In winter, it's cold. In summer, it's hot. My future weatherman gets frustrated that I don't care more about the weather. Hahaha!
I have so many beads to show off, but the piano tuner is here and my computer with my photos is downstairs in the basement. I am writing on my hubby's computer that is close to the room with the piano so I can "keep an eye" on him.
Anyway, I had a GREAT bead making day on Wednesday. It was going so well I didn't want to go to bed. I stayed up pretty late and paid dearly in exhaustion yesterday. As much as I'm dying to get on the torch today, my day is booked SOLID. The kids have early dismissal, then we go bowling with their friends, then a birthday party for my niece (a tour of DeBrands chocolate factory...I just hope I can resist buying out the store!) then my husband, mom and her husband are going to see the comedian Bob Zany. My mom's husband is always winning contests to get free tickets to comedy shows and sometimes they take us. It's lots of fun because it's free, fun, and we would never go otherwise.
Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate the day of the ISLAGA meeting, so it's been postponed until April 12th. That means I have to clean my house again. I don't know if I can tolerate cleaning my house this often. LOL!
Also, I received an acceptance letter to once again participate in the boutique at Tapestry on April 25th. Here is the web address: http://www.ipfw.edu/tapestry/ I tried to figure out how to make it a fancy link, but I've forgotten how and will have to get hubby to help me. Anyway, Marie Osmond is the keynote speaker this year. Hopefully it will be a good turnout.
March 2, 2008
Oooohhhh...TWO DAYS IN A ROW! It must be some kind of record!
I spent today helping my 4th grader with a family tree project. The project is in 3 parts with 3 seperate due dates. Tomorrow the 2nd part of it is due. He had to get get copies of photos for all parents, grandparents, etc. up to his great great grandparents. It's been a really fun project and we've found out all kinds of information that I didn't know before. We plan to continue researching and talking to all the family "historians". Our main library has the 2nd largest geneology department in the country (only behind the Mormons). So we certainly have a great tool to use if we need it. I am sure we will. It's just the whole driving downtown, parking, having to be quiet. I hate being quiet....
Anyway, no beadmaking or glasswork for me today. In addition to working on the project for a good portion of the day, my dad and step-mom stopped by. I had about a 3 hour warning and cleaned like a madwoman before they got here. I can't let them know how we REALLY live. Hahaha!
March 1, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!!!!!!!! I am thrilled that I get to have you for a sister-in-law.
I will be hosting the ISLAGA www.islaga.org meeting on Saturday the 8th. What a great thing to host the meeting because it has really helped me get my butt in gear to get the studio organized and cleaned up. I can barely recognize it anymore. The floor is mostly clean, the cabinets are painted and doors put back on, shelves are hung, glass is neatly labeled and organized. It is a thing of BEAUTY! Hopefully I can get my dear, sweet, handsome hunk of a husband to install the sink this weekend....(honey? hopefully you are reading this...) Too bad the rest of the house will be in shambles. LOL!
We woke up to lots of snow the other day. I took a few photos and then my camera promptly died. Luckily a few of them are worth showing. The kids got a day off school, which is always fun. However, I think that they have already used up all their snow days and they will have to make that one up.
The view from our back door:
Here is a Hawthorne tree in our backyard:
Here is our monster named Oscar. You think he likes the snow?:
February 27, 2008
I just took a class with Andrea Guarino over the weekend at Inspired Fire in Lafayette, IN. She is a WONDERFUL teacher and I had the best time. It's been a LONG time since I've taken any classes and hung out with my bead friends. I wish I had taken some photos during the class, but I didn't have my camera with me. I will post some photos of my class beads tomorrow.
Today I want to share a couple photos I took after the flood a couple weeks ago. Flooding is nothing new as 3 rivers meet here and that kind of provides ample opportunity for flooding. When the water began to recede and the roads reopened, the kids and I were thrilled to see little "islands" of ice around the trunks of trees and telephone poles and road signs at the level of the water when the temps dipped below freezing again. It was so cool that I grabbed my camera the next day, braved the cold, and took photos.
Here's a close-up of a tree. In the background you can see the level of the river. It is still high, but obviously it had gone down quite a bit.
Here is a photo of a line of trees close to the river:
Febraury 15, 2008
Sooooo, I've been a tiny bit negligent to my website. My 9 year old pesters me about it every single day. "Mom, did you work on your website today? Why not? Will you work on it tomorrow? Why not?"
Every...single....day... I guess I should listen to him. His wisdom obviously surpasses mine in that it's difficult to actually sell anything online if you don't actually work at it every single day. So, I am starting out small. I am actually posting to my blog today in the hopes I can make it a fairly regular habit.
I submitted artwork for an ad that will be in the Beads 2008 directory and will hopefully direct more traffic to my website. I guess I need to actually make it functional for those that are curious enough to take the time to look. Here's the artwork I submitted:
September 13, 2007
I am heading to Broad Ripple to do the Bead Angels sale during the Broad Ripple Fall Gallery Tour tomorrow. I have marked all jewelry and beads (the pathetic few I've actually listed here) as sold out until after the weekend. I'd hate to sell the same thing twice and then possibly be unable to recreate it. Please email if you have any questions. I will answer anything by Saturday evening.
September 6, 2007
I really thought I'd be so much better at this whole blah blah blah blog thing. But, I forget about it.
I will be in Indianapolis on September 14th and 15th at Bead Angels along with many other ISLAGA members showing and selling beads and jewelry. On Friday September 14th, we will be at the shop during the Broad Ripple Fall Gallery Tour for the hours of 5pm-9pm. On September 15th, we will be in the store during the hours of 10-3pm. I think we will be doing demos (but don't quote me on that-I don't remember for sure!) If you are in the area, make sure to stop by.
Next up is the home based business expo being held at Glenbrook Mall in Fort Wayne on October 5-7 during mall hours. It will be a very long weekend for me, but I am very excited about it. I just wish there were more hours in the day so I could actually get enough product made for both of these events. I am feeling the stress! LOL!
August 9, 2007
YIKES!!! I just got an email saying that I had to approve a guest book entry. Well, thank goodness that I have to approve them before they are posted because it was from...how do I say this delicately...an adult oriented content type of thing. I immediately logged into my site to delete that foul message. How ridiculous. It seems there are enough people looking for that content online that these "businesses" shouldn't need to try to force that kind of stuff on people that aren't looking for it.
I am about to take the kids for school registration. Less than two weeks until school starts. I got lots of beads made while they were at camp, but everything has come to a screeching halt. We seem to have a constant stream of kids coming over and spending the night. It's fun, but not very conducive to getting any work done.
Don't forget, I will be at Walk in the Park at Ellenberger Park in Indianapolis on Sunday August 12 from noon until 5 pm. I will be located in a tent with other members of ISLAGA. I have never been to this event before, but I have heard that it is very nice. So, come out and have a great time. There will be 7 or so beadmakers there and a couple will be doing some beadmaking demos.
July 29th, 2007
Another week gone, another week without accomplishing to make a single piece of jewelry or a single bead. I still have several things to add to the website, I just get to share with two kids that think they need to deal with their Webkinz (a new way to get kids completely addicted to the computer). However, I have high hopes for this week because the kids will be at the zoo (where they belong!) all week for a day camp. Maybe I can actually get some new product made for the show that is now in less than 2 weeks. YIKES!
I am also participating in a charm exchange on one of the forums I read called Lampwork Etc. I need to make 25 (eek!) charms to send in. Then I will get 25 charms, all different, all made by different people, in return to make into a charm bracelet. I can hardly wait to see what it looks like!
I am also hosting a fused Christmas ornament exchange on another forum called Silicon Folly. Luckily I won't have to get those done until November. I am sure I'll use every last second to get them done. haha!
July 25th
I just want to let you know that I will be at the Irvington Walk in the Park Exhibit of Art on August 12th from 12p-5p. For more info, follow this link: http://www.irvingtonart.org/witp.html
This month has just FLOWN by! Summer is so fun, but I am ready for school to start again so I can get something done. I have only lit the torch a couple times since school let out and I am having some serious withdrawal.
We took our oldest (who is 9) to his first overnight camp today. I was very leery to let him go, but he begged and begged. So, I let him sign up for the shorter version of the overnight camp which is 2 nights instead of 5. I am still worried. I would much rather he have so much fun that he didn't want to come home than be having a terrible time and wishing he never went. I guess we'll find out on Friday afternoon. In the meantime, I'm trying not to bite my nails and I'm hanging out with my 6 year old. She of course is thrilled that her brother is gone. LOL! I am sure she will find plenty for me to do.
July 4th
Happy 4th of July!!!! Have a safe one. And like the marquee at the fire station down the road so eloquently says..."Don't get burned".
My husband always loves to shoot off the big fireworks. He hasn't bought any for this year. I am NOT disappointed ;-)
June 16, 2007
It's so early in the morning (3:15 am) that I haven't even gone to bed yet. I just spent a few hours doing some photo editing and uploading products to the catalog. I am nowhere near finished, but at least there's SOMETHING to look at! LOL!
Because I am so slooooowww at this, I will be adding a few things a day until I've listed everything. I did notice as I took pictures that my bead sets and focals are pretty much gone. I only have a few available. Hopefully that will change very soon. Unfortunately, I have to keep tearing the torch and related stuff down to work on the next step in the studio. I am really hoping my dear sweet husband makes more progress in the next week so I can be set up once and for all.
Please take a look. I know the photography is far from perfect, but it's come a long way since I started this website a few months ago.
I am hoping to get out to an art fair tomorrow to scout out the potential of having a booth there next year. We'll see. I really never wanted to do shows, but I like meeting people and it seems to be the best way to get my name out there. It also helps to see my product in person rather than the horrible photography on the website. LOL!
Have a great Father's Day weekend. In my house, everyday is father's day based on the definition the kids came up with. The funny thing was the look on their faces as they realized this fact. I SWEAR I didn't coach them into saying it...
June 14, 2007
I am ready to add products to the site. I took over 400 pictures of some of the jewelry and a few sets of beads in my inventory. Unfortunately, I am having issues with my website and cannot load anything up right now. I hope it will be fixed soon. For now, I will try to load a photo I just finished editing. OK, never mind. I just loaded it up and even though I thought I changed the size to 4 inches, it is twice the width of my monitor. I obviously still don't get my new Photoshop Elements program. I should've just stuck with my old software. UGH! How frustrating.
OK, let's try it now. I resized it in my super duper old software that I got back about 7 or 8 years ago.
May 31, 2007
Is it REALLY the last day of May??? Where did the month go? We've already been to the pool twice thanks to the high heat and children that are very good at wearing me down until I finally give in. I'm sure we'll be there everyday this summer.
My mom voluntarily took most of my inventory to work with her and has done pretty darn good with sales. (Thanks, Mom!) Maybe I should just forget about the website (although I'm sure it already seems like I forgot about it...) and let her sell everything for me :-)
Luckily, I kept a few things here so that I'd have at least a few things to put on the website. If I can ever get a decent chunk of uninterrupted time to work on photos, they will be taken and posted. I finally have a good set-up and good camera. Now all I need is time or a volunteer to do all the photography work for me ;-)
I hope you have a great weekend. I get to go to a Minor League baseball game followed by fireworks, pizza, movie and campout with the cub scouts. I don't like baseball or sleeping in tents. LOL!
OK, I just looked at this page on my website, and it's downright dull looking because I haven't posted any fun pictures in a long time. So, for your viewing pleasure is a photo of my nephew during his birthday party.
May 24, 2007
The kids only have 6 1/2 days left of school. I always enjoy the first week or so of summer break. I don't have to get up early (I am NOT a morning person)! I don't have to get dressed to drive the kids to school, we have all day to do whatever we want or stay in our pj's all day if we feel like it.
After a few days, I realize that I am completely unable to get a single thing done because we spend all day "having fun". That's how it should be during the summer. However, every summer, my kilns get dusty, the torch is lonely, my glass goes unused and people are always asking me, "what have you made lately" and I have to answer with "not a single thing".
I am hoping to set some kind of schedule of "working hours" so that doesn't happen again this summer. If anybody has suggestions on how to manage time when the kids are home day after day after day, I'd love to hear them. Just email me at jennifer@glassaddictions.com
I got my new photo set up yesterday. I haven't even opened the box yet because I am dealing with getting our new house landscaped and all the fun end of the school year projects, parties, field trips and more.
The good news is we have absolutely NOTHING planned for this holiday weekend except to go to my nephew's 1st birthday party. I am looking forward to taking it easy and getting in some torch time or jewelry design time.
Have a great weekend!
May 16, 2007
Hello!!! No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Still plugging away. I was very lucky and came across a set of classes being offered by a local university that are small business classes geared towards artists. I decided to take all 5. I figure I need all the help I can get with organization of all facets of the business.
The first class was last night and I am SO thrilled I decided to take it. Even if I get no other useful information from the remaining four classes, the info I got from last night's class is worth more than the tuition I paid for all five classes. I can hardly wait until next week's marketing class!
I finally broke down and ordered a better photography set-up so that I can get some jewelry and beads photographed for the site that don't look horrible. I am so embarrassed it's taken this long to list more stuff. I will probably get the set-up on Monday or Tuesday and then will have to deal with the learning curve. But I am very excited to get it and get started. In the meantime, I have other goals to achieve.
Have a GREAT week!
April 25, 2007
I can't believe it's been almost 3 weeks since the last entry. I've been busy working on and in the studio(finally!), gathering supplies for my show on Friday, redesigning my business cards (which turned out REALLY cool!) and being wife, mom and all the other responsibilities of running a household.
But to make up for it, I've got new photos of the really messy and unfinished studio to show. Right now it's similar to living out of boxes. None of the lower cabinets or countertops are installed. The torch is duct taped to the countertop. It's probably not the safest way to work, but it had to be this way so I could get some beads made for the show. The bottom photo is my collection of Bullseye glass. I haven't even unpacked the pounds and pounds of Moretti yet. Don't tell my husband I have such a bad addiction. He has no idea (*wink*)
April 8, 2007
Happy Easter! I WAY overslept today and we missed church. My daughter was upset because she had a new dress to wear, but she seems fine just wearing it around the house. We had agreat vacation and really enjoyed visiting with my husband's grandma and grandpa in Florida. I was afraid the kids had turned into fish because they never left the pool or ocean but to eat or sleep. LOL!
We left Friday morning and were going to spend the night with hubby's aunt outside Atlanta, but as we got closer, decided to drive straight through and got home at 8 am on Sat. Whew! Long drive, but I am soooo glad to be home.
I have some exciting news! I was invited to be a vendor at an event called Tapestry.
It's a day for women with speakers, events, and a boutique. Unfortunately I have very little time to prepare for it, so I will probably be neglecting my website over the next few weeks.
I also got a new camera that I'm hoping will help me take better photos. I practived using it in Florida. Now I just need to read the instructions on how to load those 250 photos I took onto the computer. Stay tuned...
March 27, 2007
Geez...I'm so tired I tried to make it 2008 already. Haha! There are now lots of cabinets, ventilation, and the torch is hooked up and it runs. I *just* need to get a suitable table (instead of the awkward kitchen table) and baffles for the hood in addition to unpacking all my glass, tools, etc. But I am so thrilled it has come this far. I don't feel like taking a picture tonight (it's almost midnight!) and resizing it. I'll do it tomorrow, However, here are pictures of pieces that were accepted into the Art of the Bead juried bead show sponsored by ISLAGA: www.islaga.org
These pieces will be on display (and available for purchase) from April 7- April 28th at Studio School and Gallery
5610 E. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46219
March 26, 2007
We made a little progress with the studio. It would have been more if we had realized that the studs are 24" apart and that the 24" cabinets I bought weren't going to work. So, there is one 30" cabinet hung. I bought more 30" cabinets, but the awesome husband had to work long hours all weekend. Hopefully tonight at least one more cabinet and the ventilation will get installed.
Here's what we've got so far:
And here's the update on the rest of the paint job. It didn't turn out how I wanted, but I'll live with it. This area will probably be where I put my desk, computer, books, and lots of other junk.
March 21, 2007
The studio is coming along. I will be working on it today. I just added a platter to the fused category of the catalog (see close-up below). Photography has to be the most frustrating thing for me. I just want to make stuff, not deal with taking pretty pictures of it. But I am working on it. Who knows, maybe one of these days I will enjoy it...
March 18, 2007
I hope everyone had a great weekend! I FINALLY have a few things listed under the Fused and Functional category. I finally (with help) figured out why my product links weren't showing up. The words were in white on a white background. I knew it had to be something simple that I couldn't figure out. So, I got that part taken care of.
However, it is taking me forever to get each item listed. So I will be adding a few things each day. I really have a ton of jewelry to list, but there are only a few fused items available right now. This will change very soon as my studio is getting much closer to being completed. It's painted...well, 95% painted minus the trim that still has to be purchased. My sweet, awesome husband grouted the tile last night. So this week I will hopefully be moving at least my torch and glass rods into the room. We are going to buy some cabinets and other various things needed to organize. But I want to get going NOW and will make do with what I have on hand for the time being.
March 14, 2007
I am working on getting my catalog set up today and am having issues with figuring it out. Bear with me! I sometimes feel completely computer illiterate and that my 8 year old knows more than I do. Here is a teaser photo of something that will be listed as soon as I figure out how to put it where I want it instead of any random place the listing happens to show up. It's pretty bad when I am having a hard time with a website that is supposed to be relatively user friendly. LOL!
March 9, 2007
I just spend the last couple hours taking pictures of some of the items that will be listed on this site and they all pretty much look terrible. I am not very good with photo editing software and I can only tolerate sitting at the computer for short amounts of time. So, I am taking a break, will do some more reading up on how to trouble shoot my photos, and will hopefully be back by Monday or Tuesday with some decent photos and a SALE!
March 3, 2007
I just got back from an awesome class with Heidi Hale. She is a fantastic jewelry designer and has been very generous with her knowledge. Take a minute to check out her website: www.heidijhale.com
I also want to welcome anybody new to my "website". Especially those of you that may have been at the silent auction during the "celebration of talent" for the kids today. Unfortunately I didn't get to attend because of the class. However, my husband took pictures of the kids in front of their artwork. As of now, I do not have any products on my site because my priority is to get my studio completed first. However, please check back often as I will have updates and eventually beads, jewelry and fused functional pieces.
It has been one of those crazy kind of weeks where I didn't know if I was coming or going. It felt like I couldn't even accomplish the simplest tasks. The good news is that I have new studio pics to show because I did a lot of painting on Wednesday. Hooray!
After I post these, I get to go on a date with my hubby because his brother is going to watch the kids. Even though we moved closer to family, it seems to be more difficult to go out than it was before when we lived 2 hours away. I thought it was going to be the opposite. Oh well.
New studio photos:
the storage nook under the stairs (opposite wall of the window). The wall to the left I painted a solid yellow:
This is the area I will be tackling tonight and tomorrow. It is a small "room" open to the main part of the studio that contains the door to the rest of the basement area and the stairs to the garage. It will get a similar paint treatment but instead of butter yellow, it will be apple green over the pink. In this picture, the storage nook under the stairs is to my right.
The stairs leading to the garage:
Have a GREAT weekend!
February 25, 2007
This week I have given lots of thought to something I saw in last Sunday's Target ad. If you got the ad, maybe you noticed a small insert in the center. The front of it said "Three million dollars in change. Every week." I studied the interior of the insert out of curiosity to what that meant. I knew that Target donated a certain percentage of earnings. I had no idea it amounted to that much per week. What an incredible amount of "change" the company is able to produce with donating 5% of their income!
This concept of donating 5% is not a new thing for Target. According to the insert, it was written into their corporate bylaws and in practice since 1946. The insert inspired me. Even though I am a LONG way from raking in 60 million a week to keep up with Target's ability to donate 3 million, I will from now on be donating 5% of ALL sales generated from my business to charity. It will not be 5% of income, but 5% of total sales. My thinking is that if everybody did this, there would be a miraculous amount of "change" going on. I will probably start out sending all donations to Christian Children's Fund: www.christianchildrensfund.org/ I love this organization. However, I will probably donate to other organizations on occassion. The organization I choose will always have a grade of A- or higher given by the American Institute of Philanthropy: www.charitywatch.org/
There is still no studio update. I *thought* I was going to have the weekend to myself to paint. However, my daughter decided she didn't want to join my husband and son on their ski trip this weekend. She wanted to have a "girls only" weekend with me. At only five years old, she is quite the event planner. She had our entire weekend planned out-including what we were going to eat. It certainly made it easy on me. I didn't have to try to think about how to entertain her and make the weekend "special". Even though I was disappointed at not getting to paint, we had a GREAT time and I really enjoyed the time with her. She won't be my "little" girl forever...
Part of her plans included going to see the movie Bridge to Terabithia. I read that book when I was a kid and again as an adult. I cried both times. I need to point out that I am not generally a crier. But dang it, I cried at the movie too-like I didn't know what was going to happen. I won't get any more specific than that in case you haven't read the book or seen the movie. Also, my son is reading over my shoulder and hasn't read it or seen it either. He is quite the curious child and is totally obsessed over my "updating" the site.
Today will be another weather inspired lazyday fest. What is they say about this area? "If you're sick of the weather, wait five minutes and it will change" or something like that. We had a lovely freezing rain storm last night and because it is now above freezing, we have regular rain then snow later on today. When will it be spring?????
February 23. 2007
The school that my children attend is having an art fair in a week and asked for artwork to be donated for a silent auction. I submitted two pieces today. One was a handkerchief vase that I didn't photograph. The other is this necklace made with hollow beads created with custom color stringers and aventurine glass. I wanted to keep even though I'd probably never wear it. I love jewelry, I love to make jewelry. I don't wear it very often. The picture is horrible, but it's the best I can do for now until I figure out the best set up for my camera. I've been working on the photography, but it still looks icky. I hope somebody likes the necklace enough to at least place the minimum bid...
February 22, 2007
The kids being home all day yesterday kind of threw off my grand plan of doing more painting. Unfortunately there is no studio update photo for today. But how about I show a photo I took of Lucy? She sat very patiently when I stuck the camera right in her face. I guess it might be because she was all snuggled up on my bed under the comforter.
Today I will be working on getting some of my jewelry priced and cataloged because I will be making the trek to Minnetrista ( http://www.mccoak.org/ ) tomorrow morning. They sell some of my work in the gift shop.
February 21, 2007
Freezing Fog Advisory
What do you get when you combine a 12" blanket of snow, temps of 45 degrees, rain, then plummeting below freezing temps at night? Apparently you get freezing fog. I never thought I'd see the day when the kids would get a day off school for FOG. Well, it was kind of bad. But the roads coated in a thin layer of ice made driving treacherous. The cool thing is that the fog was freezing in crystals to the trees and bushes. It looked like a world covered in white rock candy. This was nothing like what things look like after freezing rain. I had to take the camera out and document this in case
