The Love of Creation...

...and no, I do not mean in the biblical sense...

What I mean is the pure high I feel from making something that I truly love. I've been working a lot with (and thinking a lot about) shapes cutout from silver. I probably haven't thought about piercing a piece of metal since I attended a jewelry design class over 4 years ago. Now for some reason, it's all that I can think about.

A few new goodies were born from obsession last night:

25 Random Things About Me...

This is going around on Facebook and, since I took the time to write it, I though I'd post it here as well:

1. I am allergic to lipstick.
2. I prefer to drive a stick shift and miss my 1988 Jeep Cherokee.
3. I have traveled to lots of countries and lived in 5 different states but do not have one friend who has known me my whole life and that makes me sad sometimes.
4. I took ballet lessons from the time I was old enough to point my toes until after I graduated from college.
5. The last ballet class I took kicked my ass so badly that I didn’t want to walk for a couple of days.
6. I miss dancing.
7. When I feel uncomfortable I can become defensively bitchy and I routinely feel bad about that.
8. I miss going to work everyday…
9. …and I NEVER saw that one coming.
10. In the 80’s I routinely worn 4 different colored socks at the same time.
11. I also once used an entire gallon of hair spray (which was a gag gift from my dad).
12. In the 90’s I shopped at St. Vincent DePaul and wore combat boots with a skirt and flannel.
13. Now…I’m still in my PJs.
14. I am eternally grateful that I am not the person I was yesterday.
15. I prefer taking a bath to a shower but almost always take a shower rather than a bath.
16. I walk, talk, and carry on incoherent conversations in my sleep…there is often yelling involved for some reason.
17. I am addicted to Mexican food and would eat it everyday if I could.
18. I feel extremely guilty that my husband kisses me goodbye every morning while I am still in bed…despite the fact that it is obscenely early.
19. I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up and I fear that I need to figure it out very soon.
20. I’m not sure that God exists and don’t really understand people who so faithfully believe.
21. In high school I took a pottery class rather than a jewelry making class.
22. I often wonder what I would be doing today if that had been the other way around.
23. I routinely recite random quotes from movies or TV shows that I love.
24. I faithfully watch every episode of LOST despite the fact that it seriously pisses me off.
25. When I’m alone I sing loudly, often, and extremely off key.

New creation...

Despite the doldrums of my complacent melancholy, I had an inspiring idea today for a new pendant that incorporates my silver work with my lampwork...at least I think it might be inspiring...I can't decide if I love it or just like it or if it is total crap.

If anyone is out there your thoughts would be appreciated...

1-20-09

I remember the first time that I saw this date. I was driving in NY almost two years ago and noticed a bumper sticker that said something like...1-20-09 Hang in There! It took me a little while to decipher its meaning and when I did I just about peed my pants laughing.

With all of the hype that has led up to today, I sincerely hope that it is a date we hold in our hearts forever as a moment in history when things really did change.

I'm so excited...

...and I just can't hide it! My creation from yesterday made it into a Valentine Gift Guide curated by Etsy staff! Check me out on page two:

http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/my-funny-valentine/110?&page=2

I have no idea how long it will be there or if it will translate into sales but it's something...and I needed a little something today!

Things that make me happy today...

1. It's Friday so I get to spend the next two days with my hubby.

2. My cappuccino filled Hoops and Yoyo Mug:


3. Loving and supportive friends, family, and fans...thanks for the early morning sales people!

4. A day of finishing new pieces in the studio! Yeah!

5. The fact that it's actually above 0 degrees right now.

6. My cute, furry, four-legged kids:


7. I'm going blond again tomorrow! Woo-who...no more icky brown hair!

8. We're going out for margarita and guacamole later...yum...

My Dyslexic Heart...

I think I finished this in record time...




I even already listed it onto Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19779609

Frigid, freezing, and...

...crap what's another "F" word for miserably cold? The one I'm thinking of has four letters and I'm too polite to write it here...ok, I'm not too polite but I have a sense of decorum around people I don't know and might offend.

Anyway...it is crazy cold here (10 below when I got up this morning) so I am working my way up to heading down into the cold basement to work today. I'm thinking it's going to require my Uggs, a hat, scarf, and another cup of coffee. It must be done, however, as I have a clever new idea for a necklace. I actually almost got up out of bed last night to start it...my cozy down comforter and toasty warm husband kept me firmly in bed however. If I finish it I'll try to post here or to Etsy later today...

Hope you are someplace warm!

Hot and cold...

Cold as in sub zero...at least that's what they keep saying on the weather channel. As for me, I've got a frig full of food, a month's worth of crafty ideas, and no desire what-so-ever to shovel the driveway. So...needless to say...I'm staying in until the thermometer reaches at least 15 degrees ABOVE zero!

Hot...well that would be the fabulous wool hat I made today:

Chuck...

Not having actual children yet, my husband and I have two cats that we obsessively spoil and basically treat like our kids. Howard and Ruby are good kitties whom we love dearly but I'll be the first to admit that we are sometimes a little nutty about them. Any serious pet lover would understand I suppose.

Anyway, they of course needed to have a Christmas present this year and what do you buy for the spoiled cats who have everything but a new bird feeder to go outside of the sliding glass door in our new kitchen. Now in Upstate NY, we lived in a veritable wonderland of wildlife. There were tons of birds, bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, deer and of course the turkeys. This cornucopia of wildlife would empty a bird feeder in less than a day (always to the delight of Howard and Ruby).

Fast forward to today. Living in Wisconsin now, we figured the wildlife situation would be similar. We figured wrong, however. The neighbors keep telling us that there are deer but despite seeing tracks in our yard we've yet to see one. I swear I've not seen a single bird, bunny, or chipmunk near our house since we moved in (not the mention the lack of turkeys). It's like we've moved to some strange parallel world...it's called the sub-burbs.

That, however, brings me to Chuck, our one and only squirrel, who miraculously appeared earlier this week. He seemingly has no friends or family or at least is not about to lead them to his pot of gold in our backyard. To the delight of Howie and Ruby, he comes each morning and gorges himself on birdseed, sitting on the steps just inches from their noses, whiskers, teeth, claws, and salivating mouths. He is either blissfully unaware of their presence or happily tormenting them with his twitching tail, bulging belly, and tiny little arms. Either way, the kitchen is now the hip kitty place to be!

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

As ever, the holiday season took over life and I feel like I'm just getting back into the swing of things...honestly, from the week before Thanksgiving to the week after New Year's is a total wash for living a normal life! A good time was had, however, and I was busy, busy, busy with EWD orders and gifts. A busy little bee...buzz, buzz, buzz...

Anyway, now that we are entering the doldrums of winter, I will likely end up so bored that you will find nonsensical gibberish written here. Hopefully (instead) I will end up so busy with new creations and actually selling jewelry that I am happy and content...ahhh...such fleetingly wonderful emotions.

While still looking for an actual "day job", I'm spending my self-employed days pondering new designs and new directions for EWD. My new jewelry creations will be up on Etsy as soon as we get a sunny day for photographs and I'm considering designing some baby items (for others not for us). I've also still been working with felt and fibers but am not sure that those items will make it online...they take so long to make that I'm fearful of the list price I would need to make it worth my time. A few holiday and birthday gifts for the wee-ones in our lives have been very fun to make...I made this one yesterday:





In my mind her name is Kitty Sue but we'll wait until Sunday and find out what Maddy wants to name her. Kitty is made entirely out of felted wool and cashmere sweaters...oh, and a little lace on her socks. She is the first from this pattern I made and may need a little tweaking...darn thing took me almost an entire day to make, however!

That's it for today...