I had the nicest evening last night when Pamela Armas ( Treasures of the Gypsy ) Karen and Mary came for a visit in my studio and we laughed and talked and ate great snacks and were all so happy that Art Fest brought them to town and that great things happen when creative people gather! The other great part of the evening was when Lita called and said she was coming by for a visit! I have not seen her since August and I so love her company! really, I felt surrounded by love, creativity and appreciation! I thoroughly basked in the evening's light!


p.s. Did I take a single picture? Of course not! Argh!

How Charm Designs Begin

I draw and doodle all the time. I can not help it. Whenever I have a moment and a pen in my hand and paper nearby; it is inevitable that they will meet. What most often emerges from this are small designs that sometimes make their way into a charm or a painting or ..... i like it this way, this near always time that my mind is thinking while my hand is drawing. Rather like a stream of consciousness, I am led into a world of my own making.

Self Portrait Friday

Self portrait Fridays are hard! I am the person who hates having her picture taken, who turns away from the camera, who takes pictures of others. I am the one who never wants her image captured on film but something that Nina Bagley said on her blog, about loving yourself, appreciating your wisdom, makes me want to continue this journey of self discovery. I am ..... learning .... to love me ... to know me... to be worthy of myself ... my age is a badge of honor worn with courage and conviction and ... wisdom.

This is the view from above of the lobby area to my shops. I refer to it as the embellishment shop and it is its' own little nest of texture and design and inspiration. I love my shops. Spending time there is not work, it is play and delight and socializing with friends and people soon to become friends. I hope that I make everyone a friend and welcome them to their creativity when they enter my playground.





When I spend my days working in the bead store; everything is up close and personal. Last night looking down from the mezzanine above the shop, everything looked different. A new perspective. I thought you might like my bird's eye view, too.






Last night at the shop we had our annual trunk show in our classroom upstairs from the bead store. All the amazing stones and pearls and silver and glass and other fabulous trinkets were on display that I purchased in Tucson and beyond.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy day of the green and may the luck of the Irish always be with you , may you never know hunger, may you always love and be loved and may you already be in Heaven an hour before the devil knows you're dead! My mom had that last part of a plaque she kept in the kitchen.

p.s. This is my four leaf clover charm.

Kitty Totem

Self Portrait Friday but Posting on Saturday

Another blog that I read frequently, Nina Bagley at Ornamental challenged her readers to post pictures of themselves on Fridays. I am going to try and participate in this activity as maybe it will help me love my body, love myself and be a better person to friends, family and coworkers. It has always been hard to allow pictures of myself to be taken. I always say to the photographer,
" No, don't. I hate the way I photograph. " It is time to stop this and appreciate myself for the person I am, the person who looks back at me in the mirror, the person who knows my yesterdays and looks forward to my tomorrows. The person who appreciates her body, the way it works and moves and sees. The person who needs nurturing from herself. Stay tuned.