New items coming

Okay, so I'm in progress on 3 more pieces of furniture: 2 chairs and a small table. The chairs will have some fabulous fabric added with a fresh coat of paint. The table is a favor to someone else and will get a cool graphic. If it's warm enough, I should be able to get them done soon. Lately it's been too damp or cool to paint, and I'm worried about how well the paint will dry. Cross your fingers--it could happen SOON!

Design*Sponge

One of the things I love about the design*sponge blog is the weekly before & after entries that people send in. Some changes are subtle and just right, others are major overhauls--both are always fabulous in their own ways. One artist, who has a shop called knack studio always has furniture I covet. For one, I always wish I had found a TLC-deprived piece of furniture (she always finds GREAT pieces), and two, I am almost always crazy about the results of her work.
Be sure to take a look. And if you haven't yet discovered design*sponge, you better get crackin' because it is full of great info on home design, shopping, and more.

Jewelry Show

I was scouring message boards for the LA area looking for some upcoming shows, and found this one.
I've never been before, but it sounds like it will have a lot of great stuff. It's in March, so you have plenty of time to plan! I'm inking it onto my calendar as I type!
Below is only a PARTIAL description that is included in the link below:

"select dealers will offer a wide variety of gem materials, beads and tools. PLS members will demonstrate lapidary crafts, silver work, wire-wrapping, gemstone carving, and beading. For the kids, the “sand scoop” game offers an opportunity to sift for gems and other prizes."

GEM, MINERAL, AND JEWELRY SHOW
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/eve/999833672.html

A Wee Gem

Here's a mini project I just finished up. A little paint and gold paint pen, a printer, and glaze was all I needed to spruce up this bare trinket box from a craft store. I thought that this would be a nice little compliment to some of my jewelry, especially if giving it as a gift; then it would be more like a complete package. The gold vine design was sketched out first with a very pale white pencil, then gone over with a gold paint pen. That was the only tricky thing about it. Aside from having to wait for the paint to dry, it only took me about a half hour.

Finally

Well, I am happy to say that I've had a productive week thus far! I'm finally getting around to painting two more pieces of furniture, one for me to sell, and the other for someone else. I also added to my jewelry a bit, which is good, although I definitely have more to do.I am so lucky to have a husband that supports my in my quirky quest to create, create, create!

Also, I've been added to a great site full of Moms, called MOM MADE THAT, which supports women who are trying their hand at working at home. Take a look at the site: Amy offers a slew of vendors and information that will interest you, I'm sure.

AND if you live in or are interested in goings-on in the Los Angeles area, take a virtual stroll thru Baby Friendly L.A.

That's it for now--I have more creating to do!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Where have all the days gone? Zooming past me, apparently! A lot has happened since my last post: a new President sworn in, bailouts, nervous groundhogs, naughty baseball players--something for everybody. Some items will affect me more than others. But something that DEFINITELY affects me is that Domino magazine has closed its doors. The THIRD "shelter magazine" that has succumbed to the many pressures the media business faces. Relentless competition and constant upgrades and changes in how people get their news and ideas. (The other two aforementioned magazines were Martha Stewart's Blueprint and House & Garden). Woe is me. I always looked forward to seeing the fresh ideas and trends they brought. I even had dreams (aka, delusions) of someday submitting one of my home decor pieces, in hopes of getting it highlighted. Another thing I liked about these three magazines were the fact that they were perfect for winding down at the end of the day. It was often part of my evening ritual to cozy up in bed curled up and ready to flip through and savor every page. I loved the ease it would bring to mind. Ahhhhh....

(SMACK!!) Okay, that rattled my skull enough to shimmy my brain back into reality. So where is my inspiration gonna come from now? Well, I guess I'll have to rely on--wow--Nature and God and stuff. Fantastic botanical gardens; patterns in a cultural display in a museum; my daughter, picking flowers;nighttime and the moon; dusk; sunset; the ocean; the mountains where I live; a thrift shop or two Yeah...I think that's a good plan.

Yay for Beads!

My sister-in-law and I went to a fabulous Bead Show in Pasadena this past weekend. It has about 200 vendors with all kinds of goodies for jewelry-making and various other crafts. Beads are crack. I found some fabulous little lampwork beads to use in a necklace and some bracelets. Just when I get over the "buzz" I get from a dose of bead-buying, I crash and have to find some other trinket to add to my repertoire of ideas. Just when I think I'm going to be able to walk away, I spot a dazzling bunch of semiprecious crack--I mean, beads. The question isn't really if I should walk away, but how much should I walk away WITH?

Are these things related??

So the Elves didn't show up...something about a union contract. I got my projects done anyway (phewww!)

I'm already behind on blog posting because I was waiting to see if I could think of some cool, hip, humorous, and/or deep subject matter. I was hoping to avoid the ever-popular "resolutions list" that is ubiquitous this time of year. Not only are they OVER-abundant thy tend to be REdundant, too. Weight goals...budgeting goals...quit smoking...stop putting thumbtacks on Dave-the-coworker's chair.... Go on--you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sure you could easily add to this list. But naturally, I waited too long for the writing fairy to zap me, and now I'm struggling for a timely topic. Maybe I should write something to do with procrastination...no, I'll wait on that.

Elves Wanted

SO I decided I was going to make as many gifts as possible for friends and family this year, and I was off to a good start: bought my supplies way in advance, would thieve a few sewing or assembling moments while my daughter was immersed in play--or Kung Fu Panda, which is her favorite movie right now. And I will confess that I, willing and non-hesitant, let her watch that movie several times in order to try to achieve my goal. Okay, even MORE than several time. The guilt has settled in...AND I still haven't finished all my gifts. So what do I do when I finally have a chance to work on them late in the evening?: Facebook...posting to my blog...ya know--"important" things.

So, here I am, trying to figure out how I'm going to get all the gifts done. Elves. Lots of 'em. Works for Santa, worked for that old Shoemaker (in that old fairy tale). So I'm pretty sure if I leave my stuff out overnight, it will be flawlessly and beautifully assembled by early morn. I will be shuffling in my fuzzy leopard-print slippers, squinting thru the mascara I forgot to remove the night before (not to mention the fingerprints Olivia deposited all over my glasses lenses), on auto-pilot to the kitchen to make my very necessary and very caffeinated java, and then I'll see it--The Stack of Love. Gifts looking fresh off the assembly line, and set out like a Martha Stewart magazine shot. Ahhhh, the relief....

Or is it? I mean, after all, the reason I was going to make gifts this year is because I wanted to make them special, functional and personal, all while trying to tap into my inner-Martha. So as nice as it would be to have Elves, I'd rather have the happy looks of friends faces when they see they got a one-of-a-kind art item that I made, by myself....Maybe that will heal the guilt I'm feeling of my little girl seeing Kung Fu Panda so many times. (That and the fact she want to be Master Tigress, who kicks A**--atta Girl!!)

Just imagine....

Okay,if you are a creative person, then you must enjoy an active imagination. And even though this post is not craft-related per se, my thought is that you enjoy anything of admirable creativity....So my guess is you are, at least in part, a Harry Potter fan. I discovered Harry when the 2nd book came out (Chamber of Secrets), and glommed onto them like a child does a "blankie". I love the imaginative details; and I love that it can be shown to have much deeper symbolisms, as "classic" literature.

I became a fan of a couple of podcasts that would analyze the stories, which added to my enjoyment of the series. One of the podcasts is hosted by Travis Prinzi, a well educated lover of Literature, a writer, and a teacher (among other things and I can't figure out how he fits all of it into 24 hours). Travis just published a book called "Harry Potter and Imagination: The Way between Two Worlds"; I am looking forward to reading Travis' insightful commentary. With all my own projects going on, I don't get much time to read. So when I do have time, I want what I read to be stimulating and thought provoking (unless it's at the end of a long day with my 3 yr old, in which case a magazine with lots of pictures of shoes and fashion suffices). If this book is anything like Travis' commentary, it will be a good read. Even if YOU'RE not an HP fan, I'm pretty sure you know someone who is.
Take a look: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982238517/ref=cm_rdp_product

Spoonflower Samples are Here!

Well, my two swatches are here! They came out really well. The orange in both designs is very bright--vibrant without being florescent, however. The printing is crisp and neat, and the fabric is nice an soft. The weight of the material is more an apparel type, but I'm hoping for some home decor weight at some point. So it's nice to see what the colors print like in comparison to how my screen is calibrated. What I hope to do is to make some designs to sell on my Etsy site So will post more when I have it.

Not Exactly Punctual

Well, it's around 2 weeks past Thanksgiving, so I guess an entry here about all the things I'm thankful for is a bit passé. Not very timely of me. Over the years November has become quite an "event-full" month, filled with both celebrations and loss: birthdays, anniversaries, and loss of loved ones. Just as every coin has two sides, so does November. I've been debating all this time as to whether I would post any comments around this time. One part of me wants to commemorate those I love and the other side that wants to keep it private-Not because it's so personal, but rather "Does anyone really want to hear it?". So I'll compromise and do a little of both....

My mother passed away 2 years ago on Nov. 19, 2006 from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She was a type of person who was rarely sick; but by the time she was diagnosed, the cancer was Phase 4 and relentless. She was gone in 3 months. Gone. My Dad lost his wife of 40+ years; my daughter lost her chance at having a Grandma (my husband's mother passed right after we were married); I lost my personal angel. Melodramatic? Maybe. But so what--my Mother was/is a HUGE part of my life. She inspired me to dream, to succeed, to love, to laugh...of course others in my life have, too, but my Mom was IT. I got my artistic talent from her, and her sense of fun as well. People told us we looked alike; strangely enough, we had "matching" moles on our right hip. (Too much info--yeah, you're probably right). My point ultimately being that my Mom was too big a part of my life not to mention her here--a journal of things of art and life that I enjoy and love. So here is a tiny sample of one of the things my Mom liked to do, and what has stayed with me....

When I was a tiny kid--and I remember this well--she would take me for walks, as many Moms do. But she would stop along the way, numerous times, to show me the bark of a tree, up close in all it's detail, touching and really noticing it. She would point out clouds; how each leaf of a tree is different, just like a fingerprint; the tiny universe that is the center of a flower; a bright color someone was wearing; a happy dog's wagging tail; a smiling baby. Things that are often passed by, glanced over, my Mom noticed. It has given me the gift of appreciating that many more things in life, and I try to incorporate those details in some of the work I do. So she is with me, all the time. Not in the way I'd RATHER her be, but in the way she can and needs to be now.

I miss you, Mom.