Table Topics...

A few years ago I purchased this "game" called Table Topics to use at family gatherings or parties. It really isn't a game but a conversation starter....you pick a card, ask the question and others respond. It really does get the conversations going. My eldest niece wasn't much of a conversationalist at the time and I figured this might draw her out....she loved the game.

Today I'm pulling a card for all of you. Think about this:

Which animal would you love to be for a day?

I'll share my response later. Lets see if anyone comments here first.

Love Bead Sale & Painted Valentines!

Hi Everyone.....the New Year is just days away and I'm already thinking ahead. The end of one year and the beginning of another is exciting for me. Its a time to begin again, make new plans, and try new things.

To start with, I am planning a Love Bead Sale in my Etsy Shop. Hearts, of course, and an assortment of other colorful beads & buttons will be available for purchase. For those who are local, you are welcome to stop by my home studio on Saturday, February 2nd between 1:00 till 3:00 for the sale. My Etsy Shop Love Bead Sale will begin Friday night, February 1st and continue through February 14th. During my home Love Bead Sale I will also be conducting a Painted Valentine Class. A fun 21/2 hour class where you learn a few easy painting & mixed media techniques while creating a unique 6x6 canvas painting.

Stay tuned.......I will be posting a Painted Valentine of my own as an example of what we will do.

Monarch........

Well. I've got work to do but here are a few of my Butterfly Hearts.....They are intended to be more "painterly" .......I'm just not sure about them. I think I like a couple and dislike a couple too..... I feel a bit rusty on my scroll work .....need some free time at the torch!

Its always fun to ask my husband which he likes......he almost always picks the one I hate....He is always counseling me on being less critical.....

February??!

I know. Its not even December yet and I'm thinking about an Open House I'm planning in February. This is most likely due to the fact that I am a hard core procrastinator and need time to think and plan. So here is my theme: Retro Love Beads. I was born in the 60's and loved all the colors, styles and songs of this period....my aunt and my mother were "hippies" and I was introduced to this all while growing up.....Janice Joplin was one of my fav's and even the Monkey's

So as you can guess, be looking for Hearts, of course, and Monkey beads too.......why not be a bit silly?!

Later today I'll post what came out of the kiln....new heart images and a new vessel.......

Sunday, Sunday

Sunday's are suppose to be relaxing and stress free.......so far, mine has been just that. I started my day with a nice brisk walk....and coffee of course.

Stopped and took a picture of pumpkins from our local farm market. I love fall.

I've posted my Silly Witches to my Etsy Shop along some Sugar Skull beads. Stop over and pick something up since Halloween is just a few weeks away.

Gonna sit a spell right now and read a few chapters and then, work on whipping up dinner!

Silly Witch!

Here are a few silly witch pendants that are for sale! I'll place them in my etsy shop later...

All sterling silver components....glass dress and face. 

Love this witches.........picture taken with my phone so just know they look even cuter in person )

Life: Amazing and Strange

It seems that I seem to get myself back on track with blogging and then something else that requires significant attention crops up and takes me away again. So I say yet again.........I'm getting back to blogging on my regular basis!

Two weeks ago my beloved dog, China Girl, had to be put to rest. She was 15 years old and just recently began to go down hill....rather fast. Although it was not definitively diagnosed, she had liver cancer or possibly blood cancer. We did what was best for her, and put her to rest. It broke my heart and I was unable to do much before and then after her death.

I got myself back on track only to have our second dog, Winston, develop a neurological problem (pictured above)....he can not use his hind leg and falls. This means constant supervision and we have to assist him with everything!

I LOVE our dog/dogs and would do anything for them but this is challenging. To keep my sanity, I am doing my best to blog more and stress less. There is a Buddhist Relic exhibit here this weekend that I think I'll go to and see if I find peace in this...

On a bead note....bead making is therapy so I will be beading more today...my husband and I will take turns caring for our dog.

See you tomorrow.......here on my blog :)

Torching for Beads of Courage!

Good morning everyone. I know I've been away from posting here lately but I'm getting myself back in the saddle! Summer flew by, two big shows are now behind me, our house now has beautifully restored hardwoods and MOST things are back in place. Although it was so worth getting our floors done, the process involved a lot of labor for us! Packing, storing, moving everything as if we were moving out was much more than I imagined! But....we are 95% back together again.

Today I will be torching for Beads of Courage. All the beads I create today will be donated to this cause. I am a BIG believer in giving and feel that I could really put my talents to use with this organization. This will be my first of many torch days so when I announce the next one, I will also arrange for a way for YOU to be part of things too.

Great Resource Discovery!

I love social networking. You connect with people who you know plus you "meet" people who love the same thing as you......I'm talking beads! I've become friends with Kandice and Kim which of course lead me to their blog called Coloraddiction......What an amazing resource!! The color testing they do and write about is wonderful. So if you are a beadmaker, pop over there and check it out.

At the bottom of their post I also discovered this Tutorial resource. What a great find! Now maybe you all have been up on this and all this information is old news but wow, I'm thrilled with this new to me discovery!

Let me know if this helped anyone out....I know, it requires leaving a comment but please :)

Almost Show Time!

This weekend is the Arts at the Garden show at Sonnenberg Gardens. I love this show. Beautiful landscape. The show volunteers and personnel are so kind. The artists are amazing one and all. AND the bathrooms are the best!

As you can guess, my days have been filled with making beads and constructing jewelry. I'm happy with my new work but would love to have more. If I wasn't such a procrastinator I would have more but it just is what it is.....Summer life has been busy of course. House projects, vacations, and family gatherings all take front stage..........but don't worry, I do have plenty of new things :)

After the show this weekend I will be getting ready for another in just 21/2 weeks. Its always a mad race to restock after a show but I've been doing this now for 13 years so I'm fairly use to it....And school starts during this time too......ugh.....I need more summer vacation!

I hope you will come out to the Sonnenberg show this weekend. My booth is E-1!

Summer Life

We had a great time in Cape Cod recently......Beaches, sunshine, good food and bead shopping of course. Went to my most favorite bead shop.....Beadniks on the Vineyard and came home with some lovely items. I had to control myself since we rode bikes and I was the one with the basket....it was very full already with things too :)

I've been working daily preparing for a few upcoming shows. Its always a nail bitter to see if I will have enough stuff but I typically do.....I just love working a deadline I guess.

Abstract hollows have been a recent love. Abstract since they are not perfectly round but what we beadmakers call "wonkie". I decided to make it a look.....using very a very earthy color palette with a bit of silver. Don't know what I'll call this series yet.....thinking of Sediment or Canyon Rocks.....at least thats what comes to mind when I look at them. I'm also using some discontinued colors on this project.......not all but a few. Relish, Lechin  and ..can't remember the name right now... all were old colors that were discontinued for some reason. I hate when they do that since its those "old" colors that I like best.

Buttons! I just love buttons.......I often wonder if it is because my Non had jars of awesome buttons that I use to love to comb through and play with. I've got some really funky buttons to share at the shows!

Gathering of Artists

Yesterday was such a wonderful day spent with artist/teacher/friends. 

We painted, we talked, we laughed and we ate. Its so nice to be around like minded people who enjoy the same things. We plan on doing this monthly or so.

Over lunch we talked about all the photo apps that are out there such as snapseed, instagram, snap & sketch, pic stitch and others....I love playing around with images and tadaa is my new favorite app!

This is the image adjusted in Instagram first....the above is further manipulated with tadaa! 

Organizing & Consolidation

These two words seem to be the theme of my life lately. At work, our district is doing some heavy duty consolidating to save money. My school has been consolidated with another, my room has moved and I've been busy there reorganizing.

My home life is much of the same. We have been getting the hardwoods refinished upstairs and down stairs so we have had to move things out on each floor and then put them back in place once the floors are done. While doing all this we have repainted, I've reorganized and tossed out a bunch of stuff. My closet for one has never looked better and I'm so happy that this has forced us to consolidate. Our second floor is almost complete.....one more room to paint and one more closet (my husbands) to organize.....Ugh, the downstairs will be happening at the end of July and I'm kinda scared about that one! Kitchen appliances, living room furniture, dining room.......all have to be moved out! Once again we will be sleeping on the porch!

My art rooms at home....yes, I have two....one is for painting and such and the other is my glass studio, are being organized and consolidated too. My art room in our basement has been pretty much a nightmare since the beginning. There wasn't proper storage for things so they piled up. I now have a nice storage unit purchased at Michaels that holds everything nice and neat. LOVE IT! Now canvases are not easily hidden but thats okay with me.

So. I'm very happy with organizing and consolidating although its been hard work. I feel like we've done so much but being that we are still in process it still looks like a mess. Things will get better I know.  Things are finding their own homes and I'm passing on lots of goodies to either friends or the garbage man. By summers end my house and new art room at school should look awesome!

I Don't Feel Bad About it Either

It happens.

And I don't feel bad about it either.

My husband walks into my studio and shakes his head. He just doesn't get it.

Yes. I do know where everything is.

Yes. I do like a neat studio too.

Yes. I can actually get work done in chaos.

Yes. I will take neatening up under consideration.

No. I do not promise to do it :)

New tools!

Both from Jim Moore......love them!

One is for off mandrel work and the other takes beads off the mandrel for you.

I really didn't want to buy the bead remover one but it really does help with my tendonitis. 

Well worth the money for both of these!

I'm Thinking 4th of July!

Remember doing this to your bike as a kid? I just might do it to mine....kids can't have all the fun!

I love to celebrate holidays by making things special. It could be an art project of some sort or creative cooking and baking. Here are a few ideas I came upon and thought I'd share with you. I'm already preparing my patriotic cupcakes and cupcake flags, painting my nails red, white and blue and bead dazzling myself with a patriotic heart made by, you guessed it, me :) Images and most ideas found on Martha Stewart website.

These look great and they aren't too many calories either! I've been planning our holiday meal and this will be on it for sure!

I like this idea since you can choose a low fat ice cream sandwich helping to make the calories a little bit lower :)

I love watermelon and what a simple idea! A star cookie cutter and ta dah! Whipped topping will be the white for the flag!

One of my patriotic hearts will top off the simple 4th of July celebration! You can get this one by visiting my Etsy Shop!! More flags will be coming soon since the Olympics are just a few weeks away!

Hearts for Hannah

Thank you again to everyone who purchased hearts this year for my annual fundraiser. All hearts have been sold and over the next week I will finish up getting hearts mailed out. Once all money has been collected, I will post the final dollar amount raised and will write a check to Joining Hearts and Hands.

The hearts made for today have all been sold so I just did not bother to post.

This year was a little challenging for me due to tendonitis and changes at work. Thank you to all who stuck it out with me and patiently awaited hearts to post.

I sell my hearts ALL the time so please do stop by my Etsy Shop or visit me at a summer show to pick some up. These hearts support me so I in turn can do for others.

Hearts for Hannah....almost the last batch!

Here they are....its almost over everyone. I hope you find one and are able to snag it! I will have hearts listed in my Etsy Shop so please stop by and take a look there too.

Please leave a comment here on my blog indicating which one you'd like. It just makes it easier for everyone else to see. Comments do not publish until I have read them so don't worry that you can't see your comment right away.

Thank you everyone for supporting this fundraiser and Joining Hearts and Hands!

3 Beautiful Things

Periodically I will post 3 beautiful things that have happened to me on a given day. I think this is a great way to sit back and reflect on what is really important......I try to do this in my mind daily but sadly, I've  been so overwhelmed I have forgotten to. Please visit Clare's blog since she is the originator of this awesome idea. Thanks Clare for helping us all find beautiful meaning to each day :)

My 3 Beautiful Things:


:: Watching the amazing light show provided by 1000's of Fireflies last night. My sister took my husband and I to a park that has a spectacular amount of these little guys and the show was not disappointing....I could have stayed for hours.
:: Yesterday morning a 3 point buck with velvet around his antlers was grazing at our neighbors crab apple tree. He was pretty calm considering the busy road he was very near.
:: Out on our brother-in-laws boat for a peaceful night ride on the lake. On our ride back home after dinner, he stopped the boat a good distance from the shore and we all took a moment to enjoy the stillness of the water, the humid air, and shore lights........beautiful!

One of my last batches of Hearts for Hannah will be posted later today....

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #7

I have a new batch ready to show. I hope you find a heart or two to buy.....remember, ALL proceeds go to Joining Hearts and Hands in memory of Hannah Congdon. Click on Hannah's image and find out more.

I will have more hearts Friday and my last will be posted on Saturday. Thank you one and all for once again purchasing a Heart in memory of Hannah. Good things happen with kindness.

First Full Day of Summer Vacation!

:: Slept in until 5:15ish (thats sleeping in for me)
:: Enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee listening to the birds.
:: Went for a nice hour long walk with my husband. So lucky to have him off of work until after the 4th! We never have much time together since we are both so busy...especially him!

Dozens of Swans were sleeping while we walked by this morning.

SeaBreeze! We plan on going there over the summer (its just down the road from us) Pete loves water slides! I like the rides.

We really do live in a nice area! Water, great trails and plenty to do....

:: Took a nice motorcycle ride out to a farm market thats about an hour or more away from home. I had never been to this place and wanted to check it out...Brown's Berry Patch is awesome!

I love farm markets for some reason. They feel very homey.

:: Returned home and had a nice light lunch
:: Made some colorful vessels for an aromatherapy fragrance class a friend and I will be doing soon! Really looking forward to that and these vessels will hold said fragrance or essential oil blend.
:: Off to get my hair cut in a few minutes

Gosh......Its been a great day so far! First Full Day of Summer Vacation has been wonderful....

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #6

I've been busy working on wrapping up the school year and trying to stay cool in the 90 degree weather! And with it being in the low 90's, working at the torch was not the best idea....Yesterday I was able to make a few hearts before going to a party and then my nieces recital. So, here are my current hearts....I will have more tomorrow and the rest of this week since I will be on summer break! I hope you find something you love :)

I've also been creating some very sweet Aromatherapy vessels....I make these on and off and have recently become intrigued with them again.

These will be in my Etsy Shop later today. If you are on my mailing list you will also see that I will be offering a create your own Essential Oil fragrance class too....

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #5

Here is #5....

 Please leave a comment here on my blog as to which one you would like. Comments will not appear until I have read them. Thank you all :)

Aromatherapy Vessels...

Here are some vessel pendants I've been making....very soon I'll be offering an aromatherapy class where you can mix your own blend to add to these vessels.

These are a bit plain since I wanted the glass to do all the work....reactive glass is beautiful all on its own. I'll be making some colorful ones too.....just fooling around right now :)

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #4

I hope you see something you like here! Please post here on my blog which one(s) you would like...please note that your comment will not appear until I have read it. This is a safety feature for spam....

Thank you so very much. I'll be posting Batch #5 later in the day or early tomorrow morning :)

Hearts for Hannah...

Good Morning everyone.....I will have a small group of hearts later today and of course the days that follow. I will post the time that I will publish on my facebook page!

Thank you to all so far who have purchased hearts! If you click onto Hannah's image in the left side column you can read more about Joining Hearts and Hands and Hannah's story.

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #3

Here is Batch #3! Thank you so much!!

Our hardwoods are almost done and they look awesome! So, I am hoping our home will be back to normal later next week.....and I can have my office back too!

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #2

Here is my second batch of Hearts! I hope you find one...... or 5 that you have to have!!....last year I made over 100 hearts and sold everyone of them. I would love to be able to do that again! They make terrific graduation gifts, birthday presents or keep until Valentine's Day for someone special. There are plenty of ways and reasons to give a heart. Hearts are 25.00. Please be specific as to which one or all that you would like...first come, first serve.

My apologies again for the poor image. I'm afraid all week long you will get these types of photos until my "good" technology is available again.....

Hearts for Hannah Begins!

As many of you already know, each year for the month of June I create heart pendants and sell them to raise money for Joining Hearts and Hands in memory of Hannah Congdon. Hannah was one of five Fairport teens killed in a tragic accident 5 years ago. These girls, although I did not know any of them, left an unforgettable mark on me.........A reminder to be kind in the time you have. Help others. And do good when & where you can. This is my way of paying it forward.

Below are my initial hearts I offer for sale. For those that are new to this, each day you will need to visit my blog, select a heart or two that you want and then leave a comment here, on my fb page or by email indicating which ones you want. It is first come, first serve.....HEARTS GO EXTREMELY FAST!!!! So don't hesitate. But also don't get discouraged. Keep trying and I'm confident you will get what you'd like. Each heart costs only $25.00 and ALL proceeds go to Joining Hearts and Hands....a shipping fee will be included if I have to mail out your hearts to you :)

I DO NOT take orders. These hearts come from my heart and I don't want to limit my time at the torch filling orders. Creating freely is such a peaceful joy for me that I want these hearts to remain true to the spirit of Peace, Love and Happiness!

Here are todays hearts. I apologize for the so so image but our floors are being refinished and I do not have access to my better technology......these images are taken with my phone. Please know that they look beautiful in person and you will be happy with whatever one you select....color often does not come across correctly in a picture or on computer.

Things that Drive Me Nuts!

I'm in a great mood now and most all the time....I've never been depressed. 99% of the time I'm just happy with life in general. But there are things that drive me nuts....we all have our pet peeves and some of your's may be on my list too. Here are just a few things that make me nuts or CAN make me nuts if I've had a bit of a stressful day.

:: Music. Yes. Music can make me nuts! At the end of my day I often need dead air since I've been surrounded by little people who need all of my attention and typically they are not quiet. I need to drive home in complete silence to re calibrate my head. Music is wonderful but it also has the power to bug the heck out of me.
:: Meetings. Sooo many meetings are just plain pointless. With technology today you'd think that meetings could better utilize our busy work schedules by being on the computer or skyped. But there we sit. Meetings that are either silly or don't directly impact us. Makes me nuts.
:: People who mind the business of others. Why? I've got enough on my plate that I don't need a scoop of someones elses crap to worry about or compare my life to.
:: Okay this one relates to the first one....children singing badly or playing an instrument badly. I know we all start somewhere and you have to practice and be encouraged but please.........my ears! So glad no one in my house plays an instrument.

Note to self:: I'm sound sensitive apparently.

:: People who don't acknowledge or give credit where credit is due. I've learned to live with this one but it still shocks me when someone can't just say, "thanks to so and so, I'm doing this" or "wow, so and so had a great idea" or "I admire how so and so does this, so I thought I'd give it a try".......come on people.
:: People who don't say "Good Morning" back when your out on a walk. Whats up with that?
:: The empty can of dog food sitting on my counter left from this morning from someone who lives here.....it wasn't me!
:: Looking forward to a few chips and then discovering someone ate them all!
:: Loud people. Wow. I am sound sensitive! I find this type of person completely and totally bothersome. Hard to really get to know this type of person cause they are so loud and attention seeking that they suck the air out of the room.
:: The Smart Car. I HATE this car. It could provoke me to hit it a few times with a baseball bat. Why in the world would someone by this death wagon is beyond me.

Okay. Did any of these ring true for you??

Whack the Side of Your Head Wednesday's

Aaaahhh, I haven't done this in a bit so I'm bringing it back. Really, I think I need some of this creative insight myself so I figured I'd share too.

The creative Whack Pack is one of my favorite tools to stimulate creative thinking. I've had my pack for years and I recently learned there is now a Whack Pack app! I'll be checking that out for sure.

Today I am taking something from the Whack Pack creator's blog.....here is the post for this Wednesday:

THINK LIKE A FOOL!

Carrying the strategy of "looking at things differently" to extremes brings us to the realm of the Wise Fool, the being for whom everyday ways of understanding have little meaning.

It's the wise fool's job to extol the trivial, trifle with the exalted, and parody the common perception of a situation. In doing so, the fool makes us conscious of the habits we take for granted and rarely question. A good fool needs to be part actor and part poet, partphilosopher and part psychologist.

And throughout history, the wise fool has been consulted by Egyptian pharaohs and Babylonian kings, Chinese emperors, Greeks tyrants, and Hopi Indian chiefs.

The wise fool will reverse our standard assumptions. He'll say, "If a man is sitting on a horse facing the rear, why do we assume that it is the man who is backwards, and not the horse?"

The wise fool notices things that other people overlook. He might ask, "Why do people who pour cream into their coffee do so after the coffee is already in the cup, rather than pouring the cream in first and saving themselves the trouble of stirring?"

The wise fool can also be irreverent. He'll pose riddles such as,

"What does a rich man put in his pocket that the poor man throws away?" When he answers, "Snot," he forces us to re-examine the sanctity of our everyday rituals.

The wise fool can be cryptic. He'll say the best way to see something is with your ears. Initially, this may seem weird, but after you've thought about it, you might agree that listening to a story conjures up more images than watching television.

The wise fool can be absurd. Having lost his donkey, a fool got down on his knees and began thanking God. A passerby saw him and asked, "Your donkey is missing; why are you thanking God?" The fool replied, "I'm thanking Him for seeing to it that I wasn't riding him at the time. Otherwise, I would be missing as well."

The wise fool will take the contrary position in most conversations. Whereas many people would agree that, "If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing well," The fool might say,

"You don't have to do things well! Indeed, it's okay to do them poorly; otherwise you'll never let yourself be a beginner at a new activity."

The great benefit of the wise fool's antics and observations is that they stimulate our thinking. They jolt us in the same way that a splash of cold water awakens us when we are drowsy.

Question: Where has "thinking like a wise fool" helped you look at a problem in a helpful way?

Sand Pail List

With summer approaching and vacation time just weeks away, I thought I'd sit and compose a "Bucket List" for the summer....actually a "Sand Pail" list. I saw this term in this months issue of Better Homes and Garden and immediately loved it! So, here it goes, my Sail Pail list for the summer~

:: plant a vegetable garden
:: walk each morning...its okay to miss one or two due to rainy weather.
:: sit on the beach and watch the sunrise one morning.
:: paint a large canvas for our living room that is colorful and spontaneous!
:: create a number of paintings for a fall exhibit (I'm having a show of my paintings!!)
:: take  yoga classes
:: take a long bicycle ride with Pete.....I'm thinking a day long bicycle trip.
:: make ice cream!
:: make pickles! Pete loves the bread and butter pickles I make.
:: get more pedicures. Or, give myself a pedicure more often! I love painted toe nails and pedicures are just so darn relaxing.
:: learn more about aromatherapy and make my own household cleaning products, beauty care and scents! I'm actually doing this now but figured to just keep going with it over the summer.
:: start that quilt thats on my bucket list! I'm a random kinda girl so I think I'm just going to create a simple quilt...queen size.....I love fabric and sewing but I don't do enough of it to call myself good at it.
:: give my sewing machine a workout this summer and make stuff.
:: create art journals based on our two vacations this summer........cape cod and british colombia/ seattle.
:: finish some of my knitting projects that I seem to loose interest in after awhile :)

Aaaahhhhh.....hump day!

Today, Wednesday, is really like my Thursday this week! Thursday then being my Friday...confused?! I have off Friday to take a class and am looking forward to it!

Not much to report ....still in my blogging slump. I know once the school year ends I will get myself back together. Its been a turbulent year at school with lots of things happening....things that have stressed our building. I think that has really been my reason for lack of posts.

I have been working on new creations however and will be excited to show them at an Open House I'm planning.

Hope you enjoy the sunny weather today!

3 Beautiful Things

:: Green smoothy for dinner. Consists of 3 cups spinach, vanilla yogurt, banana and 1 cup almond milk.  Spinach is so good for you and this drink is loaded with good stuff. Beautiful.
:: A call from a friend. My sweet friend called as I was driving home from work and we planned our morning tomorrow of farmers market shopping, a brisk walk and coffee. Beautiful.
:: Silence. I adore silence. Just being more aware of my surroundings. Listening closely. Paying attention to my thoughts. Silence is most definitely a beautiful thing.....especially after a day filled with busy children :)

3 Beautiful Things

:: Sunshine. Just the brightness and warmth of the day can really turn a frown upside down!
:: Students working so quietly on their art that you can hear the art sticks moving back and forth as they work.
:: An evening walk with my husband after a long and busy week.

Mandala

Just a few things to show to prove I really have been working...Mandala's 

Simple is good. Please visit my Etsy Shop to purchase.

Wicked

Love my new rings! Wicked cool and changeable too! 

Headpins

Yesterday I made a little over a dozen Whimsical Headpins. This afternoon I'll spend a little time placing them in my Etsy Shop. Hope you like them!

VW Bus next to my White Starbucks Cup....Lets Have a Party!

Really. I have been making things. Work has been CRAZY....so many changes pending and tension is high thru out our building. So needless to say, I've been a bit distracted.

My time at the torch has been very therapeutic. Today I've been making some whimsical headpins. I'll post them tomorrow and place them in my Etsy Shop.

Stick with me people......just knowing you are out there somewhere helps me deal with the chaos called my job!

This little toy is a reminder to me of what we hope to do in our retirement....thats 14 years away but I can dream........we will be traveling around the U.S. for a year in a painted VW Bus! Torch, kiln and all......

How the ARts Saved Me

I'm a big reader of many sorts of books. My tablet is filled with all sorts of genres and subjects. I also read multiple books at one time.......this drives some crazy but to me its like changing the channel to a different show.

One of the books I'm reading now is, Art Saves, by Jenny Doh. Its several artists stories on how art effected their lives and how art saved them.  Naturally it got me thinking about how art has guided and saved me in many ways and throughout the years. So today's post is a little snippet of how Art Saved Me.

Art has been in my life for as long as I can remember. I was raised a dancer...my mother was a dancer and we had a dancing school in our home. Dancing was a hugh part of my early life right up until my mid twenties. I loved dancing. And I must say, I was very good. Good enough that I could have pursued this as a career........but my life was led down a different road. Visual art too was always with me. I drew my inner feelings.....things I'd never say but certainly felt. Art in my young days was a means of expressing deep feelings without necessarily showing them on my face. Hurt, sadness, isolation and uncertainty were themes in my youthful art......I couldn't identify them as such then but I see that now. Art was my therapy.....

Then my life got down a really dark road and there was no art. No dancing. No painting or drawing....I laughingly call this my dark period. I won't go into this part of my life but it lasted a good 15 years or more.....when I was getting out of this dark time I actually had to re teach myself to draw. I remember crying that I couldn't draw any longer....if frustrated me and that something that was once easy was now so difficult. But I kept at it. I began doing stained glass once again...and then moved into raku clay and finally landed with hot glass and making beads.

So....fast forward to now. I teach art and I create art daily. I still hide within my art .......meaning I find peace when I am creating and often use art as a distraction to unpleasant feelings. Oh, I could go on but I think you get the idea. Wonder today how art has saved you.  I bet you'll be surprised as to what you remember.....

Just a Little This and That

Spring break is here and I've been enjoying time to myself. Its a stressful time at work and this week off has come along at a perfect time. Along with celebrating Easter with family, I've been able to do some well needed house cleaning and extended time at the torch too!

With no really plan as to what to make, I've been busy making this and that....buttons, skulls, and even a few lady bugs. Lady bugs and bee's were THE thing to make when I first started making glass beads years ago. I have a kindergarten students who wears the cutest lady bug dress so I think that is why lady bugs were something I decided to make.....who knows how or why something creeps into your head at times?!

So here is the little happy family of 3 that will soon be in my etsy shop!

Then of course my skulls. I've had a couple requests lately for skull so I figured I'd make some. These are a little larger than my typical ones...I started making them larger this fall.....this size looks great in necklaces! Yes, these will be in my etsy shop too.

Buttons! This is just one but I have a few large buttons going into my shop also. I use buttons in my jewelry but may people who buy my buttons use them to upcycle denim jackets, felted bags and on sweaters.......endless ideas!

So please check out my etsy shop later today and I'm sure to have some sweet things in there for you to purchase!

From My Book Shelf: How Georgia Became O"Keeffe

I picked up a book recently that caught my eye by Karen Karbo titled, How Georgia Became O'Keeffe.  I love Georgia O'Keeffe's skulls and of course her amazing flowers. But what I really want to know, is how she was as an artist....as a person. What were her methods? Did she get blocked? How did she overcome this? I think once you know more about anybody, the more connected you feel....so this is my next read!

For the last few months I have been a little bored with things. I haven't had an "Ah, Ha" moment it what feels like an eternity. I know it will come eventually but waiting and wondering can be tough! So, I continue with my artistic musings in other areas, take walks, pick up rocks or leaves that catch my eye, noodle around in a florist shops, daydream.......and ponder. Hoping my muse will give me inspiration........soon!