Milinda's Visit!

This is my wonderful friend Milinda now from Oklahoma. We have been friends for more than 30 years when we were both young military wives, having babies and being ombudsmen for the Navy. She calls me her hippie liberal friend and I call her my republican conservative friend. Still we are able to laugh and laugh as we tell stories, visit and make jewelry. We had a nice, relaxing visit. It is so amazing and such a blessing to me to have such long, loving friendships!

What Now?

I have been trying, really trying for about 30 minutes now to upload pictures to this blog but nothing is working! Argh!

in Tacoma

In Tacoma today it was hot. Very hot. Downright uncomfortable hot. We are all set up at the bead show and even Jake says the booth looks great. The show preview for class attendees was tonight for three hours and I sold out of all my new brittanium pieces! Yippee! It is so exciting and rewarding to have something new be received so well! I am feeling very encouraged and will continue to add to this line!

It has been fun to hang out with Jacob when he is not being a total teenager.He says some of the funniest things in total innocence.

I am very impressed with the collection of art and glass work this hotel displays everywhere as part of its' private collection. I plan on taking lots of pictures of it tomorrow in Tacoma. Watch for photos when I return.

Summer's Here - A Show is Calling

The merchandise has been sorted, the packing done and the van loaded. The show set up is tomorrow and we will be designing our booth spaces in our heads all the way there. Jacob is selling some of his own merchandise and is telling me he will shop at the show to add to his inventory. Industrious kid that one - sometimes. I hate the stress that comes with doing a show and the anxiety of choosing merchandise to sell. I will take some of my charms, resin frames and my new line of brittanium pieces. I am looking forward to seeing friends again and talking with customers. I so like " visiting " with people. It is endlessly fascinating to me. Stories to collect and remember, my great novel on the horizon.

NEW DRAWINGS ....

Sometimes when I draw I am looser with the image. I float an idea on paint marks and just randomly draw; my pen leading the way. It is almost meditative, reflections on my day. This has yellow, a beautiful clean, crisp yellow that serves as the surface for my drawing.





When I am on the road, whether it is closer to home or far away, I like to draw and paint in the hotel room late into the evening. It relaxes me and focuses me. Drawing and painting with a set of little watercolors reminds me that I am still the girl who dreamed of being an artist. I had no idea at the time what that meant but I knew that I had to live among the world of color and art. I think I am doing that.



Beautiful day here today. Warm, gentle breeze, not too hot, things blooming and growing, Daisy swimming in the doggy pool. I love the gloomy gray days and drizzly rain that we are famous for but the few not too hot glorious days of summer are worth waiting for.

Fireworks 1976 - Washington DC

In 1976 I was a young newly married woman living in the Washington DC area and attending college. I had the chance to see the fireworks celebrating our Bicentennial from the roof top of the Naval Regional Medical Dispensary across the street from the Lincoln Memorial in full view of the mall. I saw one of the first ever laser shows emanating from the top of the Washington Monument. A spectacular event that made the awestruck crowd fall silent for a few brief moments. The fireworks themselves were an endless array of light, flash, sparkle and color. You could not help feeling patriotic and proud of our country!

So happy 234th birthday Declaration of Independence! Long may we be the country of freedom, a beacon for the world!

Fiber as Beads

This is the second necklace like this I have made recently. The first sold in the shop and the woman who purchased it was just delighted with it. She looked at the necklace, twirled around the shop a bit, tried it on and then said, " absolutely, oh yes, I am taking it! " I love to see a customer so excited. I feel rewarded when someone is so happy with a purchase.

Anyhow, the necklace is made of felted wool beads, vintage lucite leaves that I dyed myself, sterling silver and pearl cotton. It reminds me of blooms on many flowers in a garden. Good night all!

Three Days Gone

A corner of the studio with sweet smelling rosemary and my concrete rooster keeping watch over the doorway. Today my sweet hubby had a marvelous idea concerning the studio and I am going to begin talking and thinking about it so that the process will take place.

We have talked for the last several years about building a new warehouse. The one we have now is just too small. Just this afternoon, Phil said, " why don't we build a new studio and we can use the old studio as a warehouse! " Now does that sound marvelous or what? He said I could add skylights, a bathroom and all the other things I have lusted after in a studio. Maybe even create a place to store my finished and framed paintings! I am so excited! There will be much talking about this, planning and dreaming and sketching and lining up all our ducks in a row but in a couple of years... Wow! A girl can dream!





These are new resin pieces recently done and all but the two cathedral type window ones are made with garage sale jewelry as a base! I am trying to train my eye to look at " stuff " differently and figure out how to apply it to my work. I love the idea of up-cycling what someone has discarded as outdated or unloved and giving them a new life. Resin is amazing stuff! I can use it on paper, in my frames, in objects like spoons and the backs of old deep brass. I don't think I will ever tire of it!