This Christmas Time

the shop windows with lights by Jake & Phil

the mantle in the shop with green fir boughs

 Crosses and crucifixes - made from original old pieces in the lobby case

It is a mystery to me that this Christmas holiday season, I feel like decorating both the shop and home. The previous two holidays were sad for me. In 2008, my mom passed away just before Christmas and the deep ache from missing her made it almost impossible to believe in the magic I always thought Christmas had. The second year, 2009, just reminded me that I continued to miss her and the holiday made me feel lonely and sorrowful deep inside. Phil and Jacob carried me along on these last two holidays, sweeping me up in getting the Christmas tree, decorating, wrapping gifts; even the pleasure of working in my shop, helping customers prepare their holiday gifts left me wanting and despairing. So perhaps this year is my time to begin to again enjoy the holiday. I am still feeling hollow inside where the pain of missing my mom lives but I want the bright times that come with the holiday. I want to feel the joy of a holiday with family, friends and customers again. As we string strand after strand of lights in the shop and at home, I am wishing for that spirit in me.

I Couldn't Say it Better

In Between

A chorus of cool cast concrete crows.

In between a wonderful meal and a lazy afternoon of watching old movies; I dashed back
and forth to the studio to paint the latest bunch of concrete crows.
They will be the inkiest of blacks and finished off with a glossy
varnish. They can be indoors or outdoors and I find them very talented at being bookends
on my cases in the den. I cover the bases with a wool felt that stops their little
concrete feet and bottoms from scratching the furniture.
Very easy painting yet meditative and relaxing at the same time. It's as if it clears my head
to draw and paint new pictures. Like a sorbet in a delicious dinner clears the palette between courses.
See - food remains on my mind this Thanksgiving evening! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Strutting His Stuff

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am feeling most blessed with the love of my family
and friends and the joy that comes from making my living at
something I love to do. If I could have just one wish, I would want for the world
the peace, love, faith and hope that I have in my heart right now. May your day be filled
with light, warmth and love. 

Home Before the Snow Flew!

The first snowfall Sunday morning in Bellevue.

Lisa of ZizzyZaZa Beads and Jake laughing it up at the show.

Beads, wonderful beads, can't get enough of those wonderful beads!

Snow just beginning to pile up. Dog prints on the porch, of course!

A dog that is soaked from playing fiercely in the snow. 

We beat the snowstorm home by about 10 hours and this morning it is a winter wonderland outside. Everything is blanketed at this moment with about five inches of snow. Beauty in the treachery that is snow. Phil is stuck out on the highway about 4 miles from here. I told him to sit tight and hopefully, traffic will move, a plow will come, a sand truck will leave its load and he will arrive home safely. The storm came fast, furious, leaving us unprepared in its wake.
The one enjoying this weather the most is Daisy. It is her first snow and she has played and jumped and tunneled and rolled and finally slept, all in the snow. I have just coaxed her inside with a chew bone. She is in love with snow and through her eyes, I love it even more. Even more still, when Phil is able to get home!

Whirlwind Time and a Birthday

This is my birthday dinner, my special request for SOS or dry beef gravy.

My birthday cake with double frosting made by Phil


The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity with the shop's annual sale, a visiting dog, report cards
and my birthday! The rains have arrived with a vengeance with snow forecast for perhaps Monday.
I love winter but I am especially glad to be in my warm studio looking out at the weather. I laugh and tell customer's
that this is perfect beading weather and to get their project " on ".
The person not doing projects is me. I am planning for this weekend's show and the upcoming festivities for
Christmas.
I aso was able to mail off the little angels that I promised to Facebook friends. I actually cleared my office
of all the things I had promised to mail. Feels very god to have that all done.
Now, I am finding that I am sleepy earlier in the evening so I have been curling up in bed with the Goddess
of drowsiness and reading until she gently closes my eyes. Sleep is such a pleasant
experience. Good night.

Some Days

 An exceptional crow visitor.

Some days are just about perfect and this one was no exception. I had a wonderful day in my shop on our first day of the annual sale. I greeted many customers that I have not seen in awhile and the warmth and happiness extended from those customers warmed me to the souls of my feet. I also had lunch with a friend to celebrate her birthday and two other friends dropped by to say hello. When a day is fun and people are receptive to what you are doing; who could ask for more? I felt loved, appreciated, happy and with gratitude I look forward to more days just like this one!

A Cold Evening

The day was beautiful. Sunny, clear, warmish for November and full of possibilities. Did I accomplish much? Maybe. It all depends on what you think accomplished means.

I made  jewelry, strung beads, priced some copper findings for the shop, prepared six charms for casting, painted a new shop display, did three loads of laundry, picked up one old subaru from the repair shop, shopped for dinner, made dinner, cleaned up from dinner, worked on line ( still working ) and will most likely finish the day out by drawing in the living room while watching Law & Order: Los Angeles, using the new magnifier attached to my ott lamp by my living room chair. Sigh, my eyes can not decide if they need it or not. Where ever would I be without my trusty ott lamps? Accept no imitations, they are the best by the way!

Made from odds and ends of brass chain.

A painting I hung in the shop. I love little houses!

All the while working in the studio today, I longed for a little cabin in the woods. A place to create in silence and solitude, a place free of distractions, a place to work through the stuff rattling around in my head from the awful, betraying nasty hurt of a former good friend, to the ache of missing my mother, to the why of my ways. I could explore medium and technique, metals and paints, resins and enamels. Two months would help. Hell, two days would even be good!

This is enough meandering thought in this blog tonight. I am anxious to get to the colored pencils calling to me. Good night and may you sleep with creative thoughts in your head all night long!

Agate!

Here is Kathy's hand so you can get an idea of size.

I have been a fierce agate hunter since first learning of these magic rocks when I spent my first August here. They are a form of moonstone and difficult to find on the beach; their rarity makes them that much more desirable. Michael used to say that the sun dropped them on the beach and I like to think of them as golden sundrops. Usually they are not much larger than a fifty cent piece or half a sandwich pickle. So, imagine my surprise and Kathy's too, when a customer came in with an agate the size of a sandwich! Everyone in the shop stopped and looked! We were just stunned, recovered quickly and began telling agate stories! Man, I wish I had found this very rare, extraordinary agate. My jars of the sweet, glowing stones would have loved this kind of company!

Favorites

One of the best things about fall? The colors of the leaves on all the leaf bedecked trees. I love how the colors shift and move in the light of day and what was just hours ago a green has now made the leap into golds or reds or oranges. Magnificent! I wait all year for the music the changing of the colors sings to me. Here is a recent favorite.

The weekend is just 25 minutes away and I am ready for a busy Saturday with gallery walk at hand and in two months I will be up and running in a newly created gallery space - knock wood! Happy weekending!

Yesterday While Hiding Out from Election Results

We went to Bremerton and visited with Beth who owns a bead store on Callow Avenue. I love Callow Avenue! It has an ancient porn shop, Elmo's which is everything you think an old porn store should look like, pawn shops, bakeries, offices, health food stores and way back when, was the red light district in Bremerton. I can imagine that area in WWII when the area was thick with sailors waiting for orders, training for the war. When I lived there in 1982 for a brief time, long enough to have Michael at the Naval Hospital, that old downtown area still was rich with massage parlors, bars, adult movie theaters, all mixed in with regular businesses. I know I am unusual but I liked that area then and I like it more now especially since Beth's shop is there. 

This is Pixie ( because her ears make her look like a pixie ) who is Beth's shop dog. What a sweetie.

I met Scarlet at the new consignment shop next door. Also a talkative sweetie. Beautiful bird, too.

Scarlet & I have a moment. She likes to groom long hair.

This is Beth with the basket of beads I purchased! 

STUNNING - 'I REMEMBER, SO I'M VOTING, AND NOT REPUBLICAN.'