Valentine's Day Again!

Valentine's Day has rolled around again and I am reminded of how much I love all that is in my life right now. Family, friends, work, love, joy and candy! I am so delighted at the romance that is in the air today. Jake took a single red rose to school for someone special, Phil made me chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and we bought a bag of foiled hearts to give to our employees and co workers. Love is in the air! The Beatles were right you know, all you need is love.

Quiet.... on the home front...

The house is so still at this moment that you could hear a spider crawl down a cobweb from the ceiling. Jake is at a friends' home, Phil is buried in paperwork both real and imagined and I am sitting here deciding what I next want to do with this day. Even the outside day is quiet, I can hear a small plane that is circling overhead down by the airport and not even the neighborhood trees are moving. If it were warm, I would say this is " earthquake " weather but it doesn't feel that way today.

I want to post a few pictures of Tucson. Amazingly, during my entire two weeks there, I did not take my camera out. I was so busy greeting customers, friends and other vendors and chatting when we could all squeeze in moments, that I did not take pictures. I lived in the moment rather than capturing the moment to savor in a picture later.

Glorious sunsets.

Blooming cactus.

The blooms - flowers or fruit?

When we had spare moments, Phil and I would often just sit together and marvel at the landscape that is so different and striking from the pacific northwest. We stared at the craggy mountains against the blue sky endlessly. I greeted each day with an exclamation of the beauty that was around me. As I threw open the curtains in our hotel in the Oro Valley, the peach, purple, pink of the mountains and foothills called to me and I answered by basking in their glory. I may not shout it from a mountain top, but I am glorified in His glory and thrilled to be alive and with those that I love, doing what I love! Happy Sunday to you. What are you doing that you love?

Home Now

Sigh, I am home now. Free of all the jumbles and jangles and noise and shopping excitement of Tucson. Two sleeping dogs lie at my feet, a gentle snoring fills the air. Rain is coming down softly, a breeze lifts the branches of the trees and I can hear the pat, pitter, pat of rain in the gutter running down the side of my house. It feels good to be here, attending to business, laundry and other matters at hand. Soon I will stop for a salad and then head to the studio where I am going to shut myself in and rummage in my creativity until I come up with something I so want to do. I have much to tell you about my adventures down south, much to say about the show, much to share on life lessons learned and the splendid time I had with my brother and his wife and visits with friends from Hawaii and Ohio. Right now I am just going to post the pictures of little origami creatures that my granddaughter Ashley made while she housesat for us and took care of Jake. She hid them around and I am so absolutely delighted in finding these sweet little birds and animals! What a beautiful young woman she is! What a pleasure, an absolutely astounding pleasure to have her in my life!

Tomorrow is the day that I am leaving for what will hopefully be warm and sunny Tucson. The house sitter is here, the laundry all done and Jacob is anxiously waiting for me to leave so that he can " party ". I think that means to him that he can turn his music up LOUD and I will not complain. Poor house sitter - they are in for it!
I have managed to pack four knitting projects, my new journal of handmade paper and a bead embroidery project in my suitcase. Plus the Oprah book club novel I have been meaning to read for years. You see I am planning some quiet time in soft, sunny spots to read and craft and draw. Sounds enchanting to me.   My trusty laptop is staying home so I will be at the mercy of a hotel computer but I am thinking that not being on my computer will give me more time to create. I won't really be posting pictures until I get home either. Maybe no one will look over my shoulder as I sit in some isolated corner spot and knit while daydreaming. Slow down Lois on this trip and enjoy everything. Life is short and sweet with that lesson hammered home today. Love to all, goodnight.

A painted red heart on raw canvas. Not quite finished
but bursting with red. 

Some things new...

I am running on empty right now and ready to just sit and mindlessly watch something on television while sewing the buttons back on my gray corduroy jacket. Amazingly, ever since the snow fell last week, I have been in the mood to sew and mend things. Jacob is calling to me to mend the cut on his finger and I think I will either have to sew it ( yuck ) or he is going to need a stitch. Jacob's solution to all aches and pains is to " run it under cold water " so we will see what needs to be done. I just don't think that tonight's mending should extend to his finger!

Anyhow, here are some pictures of new charm designs just cast in bronze that I will be taking to Tucson.

I am of course, in love with the bird!

The seasons in the circle pendant are cool too.

A flower, I love drawing them.

I also visited with Regina at her new shop space uptown. I think this home for THE PERFECT SEASON will be a great location for her. It was also fun to hang out with Juliette today and laugh over the stories we shared with each other. I love this town for the people I run into and the people I can share moments of my day with. What better friends and times these?

This picture I like best of Regina.

Just before dinner I also painted red hearts on some raw painter's canvas so that tomorrow I can put Valentine's Day decorations in my display windows. I love painting on un-gessoed canvas and it was hard to stop at just the hearts and not continue on with layer upon layer of color! Sigh - next time. For now, I'll say goodnight.

Ready, Set.....

Things are packed and in boxes. The last of the new charm designs arrived yesterday and I spent this evening pricing them for Tucson. There are so many new designs on my table this year I feel as if I am a new artist showing my work for the first time. I am bringing some of my sterling silver charms and some of the other silver jewelry I have made, even some of my cuffs and bangles. I am going to miss my buddies from previous years' shows as they have moved on to another Tucson venue. Other friends have decided not to return at all after last years' slower sales. This makes me a teensy bit sad but it also feels as if doors are opening and change is in the air. I am looking forward to seeing my brother, Bob and his wife Barb. I love my east coast friends coming in to do the shows both as shoppers and vendors. Janet is coming just to hang out. Fun! I am going to work in my journals and sketchbooks while I am there and finish a knitting project or two. A drive to Bisbee where we are going to look at commercial properties for sale should be fun, too. Who knows what tomorrow holds? All I know for certain, is we did get a fabulous deal on airfare, hotel and car rental. My best friend, aka my husband and I will be having some fun in the sun!

This is a real bird with real blue feet. How cool!

Tribal pearls.

Toggles in bronzes.

Affirmation charm.

Little House

One of my favorite house links used in a necklace by Lorelai Eurto. I love how the piece was used and the mix of other findings and charms is very nice. See her blog here: http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com/