My friend Ashley started out with five bangles. Then she got five more, then five more, then five more...I think she was up to 25 when she said "I want 15 more brass and 10 more silver!" that's right folks, she wears 50 all at once! I make the darn things and I am envious of her!! They look so cool on her. So I finally decided to start selling them in larger groupings than just five - I haven't jumped to 50 - let's just start with 20. Check 'em out! 
Since recovering from the flu I've been working day in and day out, late into the evenings and on the weekends. My 30 day challenge hasn't gone as smoothly as planned, but the idea and spirit behind the challenge is there. So, check out what I've been up to...
You know those days where you are working along, feeling quite productive, and you think of something you need to do. So you stop what you are doing to go do the thing you just thought of...while doing thing number two it occurs to you that there is something else you just must do now or you'll forget it altogether, so you move on to thing number three and so on and so on and so on until you realize that thing number one is still sitting there, first in a long line of half way done tasks. Welcome to my life.
So, I was feeling kinda under the weather for a couple of days. Sore throat, achy, just ick. I didn't feel truly awful, but enough that it was bugging me so I called the doc. So, for future reference, when the nurse come in and looks down your throat and then goes, literally, running from the room only to come back with a bright blue face mask on - it's not a good sign. Oh, and yells "Make sure the doctor gets a mask too!" to who ever. And when, at the end of your visit, both the nurse and the doctor tell you to head straight home, don't stop at "Go", talk to no one on your way out, don't worry about checking out, again, not a good sign. I'll tell you what it equals, it equals a big fat case of strep throat AND the flu. Crap.
Some days I dream of having the life of one of my dogs. I mean really, look at this. Could she look more comfortable? And this could have been her 10 am nap or her 1pm nap or her 5:50 nap...take your pick. She found that if she limps ever so slightly she gets a cookie, if she barks and barks and barks we yell "Seven! Seven! Seven!" and then go find her and then she gets just the attention she was demanding. She has us so trained. I bet she considers us very well behaved.
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I was leaving for the grocery store the other day and noticed Horatio pacing on top of the water bowl stand. I asked Tom if he'd get them some water since I was on my way out. Before either of us could make a move Horatio just plopped right down in the water bowl. I would love to know if this was some sort of stance he was taking, like "I'm gonna sit here in this bowl until you get me some water!" or if it just seemed like a comfortable place to chill for a bit...
We finally had Preacher's birthday party this past weekend. I was about a month late but I am pretty sure he didn't know. There were about 20 people here and I assumed everyone would go give him a pat on the head while he napped off and on on the couch. But no, he was Mr. social! It was really pretty hilarious. It was like he knew it was his party and he needed to make the rounds. He seemed particularly fond of the kids...possibly because they may not be as protective of their plates as the adults. I don't know. But he was a wonderful host. After everyone left he sacked out and was pretty worthless all day yesterday too. His party pooped him out!
It is quite possible that I have bitten off more than I can chew. While we were in New York in early August I had this baaarilliant idea: 30 days of new jewelery. A new design every single day. For 30 days. What better way to challenge myself, force new ideas and creativity, keep things fresh, stay in people's minds. It really is a good idea. In theory. However, in actual application it is, ummm, a bit more difficult than I imagined. It's not quite as romantic now that my 30 days have begun. But, enough complaining. Ick to complaining. I am doing it. I am committed. So, today is day two of my 30 day self-imposed challenge. To follow my progress you can visit the piece du jour here. Each one is for sale and will be marked sold when it's gone. How embarrassing if they are all still available at the end of the month. Hadn't thought of that one... oh well, still this is mainly a challenge for me, see what I can come up with. Let me know what you think as the month goes on...
I think it's become fairly obvious that I am not a minimalist. Never have been. Never will be. My studio might be the prime example of that. Well, and the fact that we have 12 dogs and two cats. I find it hard to understand the minimalist concept/aesthetic. I mean, I guess I get the idea of not being tied down by a bunch of "stuff". And I do find my attachment to things to be pretty irrational at times. Like the time I laid on the hood of the car I had just sold and bawled my eyes out. Or when I was five and cried crocodile tears as my grandmothers old sofa was hauled out and the new one brought in. Obviously this is not a new aspect of my personality.
Some of my "clutter" is useful, some is nostalgia, some is sentimental, some is inspirational, some just makes me smile. For example: this bulletin board is VERY useful. It has my to do's, my assistant's to do's, ideas, and my photo of Raymond Burr. Very useful.
My desk. Pretty much all useful. Full, but useful. And my brand new Jonathan Adler mug that I am in love with and I am fairly certain it makes coffee taste better.
I have photos and magazine clippings stuff all over the place of things that inspire me, my collection of Perry Mason DVD's is at the ready, and this painting by Susan Gibson makes me smile every single day!
...more useful info, measurements I need to remember, bubble gum wrappers I need to keep, song lyrics written on scraps of paper, and little photo of Viggo Mortenson to swoon over from time to time.
I also have stacks and stacks of little bowls. In my kitchen I have stacks and stacks of big bowls, but in my studio these little bowls hold solder, jump rings, cut outs and saints for bottlecaps, random beads, and my uncle's gold tooth is in there somewhere...
It may seem odd and random to any one who doesn't know me. But I think to everyone who does know me it is probably pretty much just what you'd expect. This last photo is probably one of the more important things in my studio - my collection of prescription bottles, fabricated by me for my senior show my last semester of college. These remind me of where I've been, of what I've learned, both emotionally and educationally. It's not for every one - thank goodness.
Yes, this month was Preacher's birthday. His 12th birthday. No matter how many times I say it I still pinch myself. You can tell by this photo how thrilled he was to be having a birthday - at this point all he knows is that it involved wearing a paper cone and annoying elastic strap on his head for point one second. The reason this is all he knows is because his horrible-rotten-no-good mom has not arranged his birthday party or made his cake. I know. I suck. After all he has been through you'd think I could get my $&#* together and have a big blow out. But as my dear friend Casey pointed out today "Preacher is VERY smart, but I don't think he knows that it's not August anymore." Perhaps she is right. So, Preacher will be having an early September party I think.
August also happens to be my birthday month. I'm pretty certain that this is still my best birthday photo to date so it's what I am still going with. Not to mention I much prefer the number of candles on this cake to the number of candles I would have on a cake this year. So, happy birthday me and happy birthday Big Man.
Do you remember that sitcom in the 80's? It's a Living with Jillian Anderson? When I typed my title for this post the theme song for that show went playing through my head. It is scary to think what information I have purged in order to retain a theme song for a show that I am pretty certain most people don't remember. I have a whole brain section dedicated to tv theme songs in fact. I do. Alice - check. Silver Spoons - check. The Love Boat - che, oh, who are you kidding, we all know that one!
I love it!, It's one of those "how to get this look" bits. Very cool. And I am featured in an outfit with freakin' J.Crew. I'm big time. Well, I'm not really big time but it feels pretty big time. And the bit from the outfit wearer is pretty sweet...
So, if you wanna "get this look" you can create your very own necklace like this one on my "Build Your Own" page.
No kids for us. Matthew (my not-so-little little brother) is leaving for college tomorrow and it is killing me. How do you parents do it? If I'm a wreck over my brother imagine how I would flip out over my own kid. Thank God dogs don't go off to university! Geez.
I am entering Preacher in the Save-an-Angel Calendar photo contest and I am fit-to-be-tied to choose a photo to submit. I just goes with out saying that he is THE most handsome boy in the world, we all know that, right? But how do I choose which photo to submit - I keep going back and forth. I have narrowed it down to these seven. So, will you help me?
number two
number three
number four
number five
number six
number seven
I celebrated my birthday in New York last week. I've got tons and tons of pictures to share, but first off let me tell you this: My sweet, sweet husband got me a cake from Magnolia Bakery, possibly one of my most favorite places on earth. I always get a red velvet cupcake when we're there, but this time I got an entire red velvet cake. Dear Lord it was delicious! They make this amazing vanilla frosting, NOT cream cheese frosting like you usually find on red velvet cakes, no, this is light and creamy and so vanilla-y. Oh, red velvet cake, I miss you so.
I never thought I would be one of those people who hated having birthdays. I guess it's not really the birthday thing, it's the turning another year older thing. But I really am surprised by how much it bothers me. It's just a number, it's just another day, all those things people say. I think I've figured out that it's the whole biological clock thing. It's not that I necessarily want kids, but it's that I resent it being taken out of my hands. I think that's what the whole birthday thing boils down to in a nut shell.
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