Here is my sweet Regina getting all ready for Christmas day and I have the day off! I have so much to do that my head is spinning! Do I paint? Make jewelry? Address Christmas cards? I should get ready for my show in Hawaii that I fly out on the 3rd of January for. I really want to do everything and drink hot chocolate and snuggle with Jacob and watch a stupid holiday movie. It's pouring rain outside but the winds have finally stopped. Ah... Christmas in the great gray, rainy Northwest! Happy Day!! Lois

A Winter's Day

I left the shop tonight at about eight and on the drive home the sky was glowing in moonlight, the stars were out and the moon gave the large, fluffy clouds an azure glow radiating from deep inside. Within 10 minutes of opening the front door and beginning to eat some dinner; the fog had rolled in and the whole night sky had changed. In the blink of an eye, everything from the sky was gone and I couldn't even see the neighbor's home! An amazing quick change. I'll tell you though that the Christmas lights around my home, garage, fence, studio and garage had that soft twinkly glow that made the lights look like they were a part of the very air I was breathing! Happy winter's night. Lois

We are officially in winter now with this day being the solstice. We are expecting a bit more snow or a snow mix and right away; I have visions of a white Christmas in my head. All the presents are wrapped, the fridge is stocked and we are preparing to celebrate the joy of the season within my little family.

Here is a photo of my front yard jungle looking out from the porch. You can see a glimpse of Jacob' s extremely bright, extremely yellow playhouse.

Happy Solstice!!! Lois

Finally! We have some sort of ferry service back in PT! A foot ferry is running 4 times a day between PT and Seattle at a super reasonable price in a 90 minute crossing. That should bring some tourists here for the holidays. Then we have a small private boat running between Whidbey Island and us that is also a walk on. Hopefully a fifty car ferry will be here at the end of January and a new boat built and running in 18 months. It is about time the state stopped playing with our lives and realized our 80 year old steel electric ferries needed replacemet and we needed ferry service!! Politics!! UGH!!
So here's for a busier shopping season for my stores and studio. Now I may have to ride the ferry to Seattle or Whidbey myself. I hear in our winds that the ride can get a little rough and I LOVE a wild boat ride! Lois

Today was a beautiful day in Port Townsend! The sun was out, the air was crisp and clean and customers were in a great mood at the shop! It's the kind of day that really makes me love being in my " playground " aka, my shop. This is a photo of my warehouse, in the snow of course, from last weekend. Note my friend, Gunther's rooster. I bought his first one that he ever made and I love the piece. He is especially charming in the sunlight that glints off all the spiderwebs that spin themselves around him.

Here is a photo of my studio in the snow that was coming down like a blizzard on Sunday. All that beautiful snow allowed me to think that I was isolated in my studio and creating, creating, creating without any interruptions! In my household, we are all in love with the snow. We just do not end up getting snow here very often; we are the RAIN place! Oh, and gray sky place! Thank you winter for letting me have time indoors to explore my creative side and welcome into my heart my muse. Lois

before I call it a day...

Before this long day of computer lessons is over; I thought that I would add that I have charm designs in the newest issue of STRINGING magazine. You will find 2 stars on page 13 and 2 of my favorites ( I call them toast and hummingbird ) on pages 37 as a pair of earrings. I love, LOVE seeing my work in magazines and I hope that you will find it as inspiring as I do. It is a charmed life !!!! twinkle twinkle ! Lois