Week 28 of 52

What can I say……except I'm very grateful it's MONDAY…..it's a new week a new beginning and we'll just not really go into what has happened in the past 4 weeks!!

BIG NEWS……we're moving back to Austin!  Don't know any more details than that…..I'm back in the Limbo game and have added the CHA CHA steps to the dance!

Where was this move two years ago when I wanted to go back to all my friends….BUT no…..so did I sit around and mop for more than two years……NO I finally got hooked in with a REALLY fabulous, talented group of peeps…..we are just on the verge of something….not really quite sure what but we've been invited to join our PMC instructor to do shows with her…..I've FINALLY found a teacher with metal fabrication/design knowledge that could really move my work ahead and this weekend I took a stamp tool making workshop that will add another dimension to my work……so I finally feel like I'm moving in the right direction and I'm having the rug pulled out from under me AGAIN.

To top that off a very dear friend is giving me another opportunity to get published in her 3rd Zentangle book……I blew it on the 2nd book and couldn't get my design ideas together in time….and to be honest, I'm sure I was doing the self sabotage dance!
What was the quote I just read this week, can't find where I wrote it down…..but it goes something like….no need to push forward, just need to get out of the way!
I've tried a number of things to get my groove on….and I keep coming back to metals……I REALLY LOVED working with the grinder this weekend, getting dirty and making something beautiful…..I am hoping for the time when I can escape into a space where I can do those creative ideas that keep popping in my head….there are so many that don't seem to come to life only because I don't do them….I'm tooooo busy spinning around looking for my place!

Okay enough of the sad sack stuff…..think I'll try what has been so successful for my friend…..do some escaping into a zentangle or two, heehee!

Oh here is a snap shot of some of the molds I was making while house/pet sitting in Austin over the 4th….

Haven't had a chance to see how they turned out just yet!  My plan was to do some PMC in them….1st copper then silver!

Not sure if I showed you all this………but this is one of my PMC pieces…..I like the way it turned out….a little shinny for me….still need to tone it down with some patinas!

Had a little set back with the bronze metal clay we worked with…..just has lots of problems in compared to the silver but of course the cost is also huge as well!

Okay I'm signing off the the night…..until next time!

Week 24 of 52

Oh my time just blew me away this past week....Thank God It's Monday!!

This is going to be a really short message this week...I will be finishing it up later this week....my photos didnt make it to the computer.... There is so much I will be sharing...so hang in there and keep checking back!
Til then......

Week 23 of 52

Whew…….what a week……..sooo much to tell you…….first I have to start out with a BIG
THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY……I'm so grateful for a fresh new week!!

"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month"  Theodore Roosevelt

I thought this was sooo funny but true most of the time…….if we could just get out of our own way we'd make much better progress…….as it so happens this past week for me I was able to get out of my own way and it was a fabulous week!!  Now today is another matter…..but we don't need to go there just yet!!

I had the most incredible time with a new teacher, Sharon Gillispie and the Jewelry Junkies…..well not the whole gang but four of us!  I had met Sharon at Bead Fest right in the middle of the worst class I've ever taken….also in PMC…….opps forgot to say…..I am giving PMC another chance and I'm soooo glad I did….Sharon makes up for all the frustration and anger with Bead Fest AND Donna Lewis our teacher……..a world of difference….night and day…..can't say it any more clear!
Soo let me show you the 1st piece I did with Sharon…….

It's silver with a bit of dichroic glass!  I was able to press the clay into a pattern for the base, also used that same pattern to do the bale……what fun!  Sharon was so gracious with her sharing not only in her knowledge but in supplies, tools…..just anything you could think of!!
Of course we got a tour of her incredible house and studios…..that's in the # 2 studios!!  The main one is at the entry…..it has more tools than most community colleges teaching jewelry making full time…….to say the least none of us walked out of there without a bucket load of envy!!
We had so much fun…..she couldn't let us go!  Our class was from 9-1 and we didn't leave til 5:30……and believe me we were all worn out, our heads were spinning with sooo much knowledge that we were on overload!
Of course I spent the next day researching kilns and all the PMC supplies…..another day of metal overload!!

Saturday I attended the Arlington Gem and Mineral show…..I went looking for stones for our next Craft Guild class which is in two weeks……..we needed some faceted stones for a step bezel lesson…..success…..but it's never an in and out for me…..I have to see it all and I was there for 4 hours and by the time I got out of there my back was killing me……but again I had brain overload and a pretty nice dent in the pocket book……at least I was buying for several of us and not just me, heehee!
Here are a few of the treasures……..

I tried to get the least expensive since this will be our 1st one with Marilyn at the Craft Guild.  Now I've done step bezels before…..no formal lesson…..have been pretty successful but with a totally different type of stone!  One thing Marilyn told us was to design our piece to fit our design NOT the stone….it was an interesting concept ….. one I really liked!

Of course being the Raven that I am…..I couldn't pass up the bright and shinny …. found these beads and had to add them to my stock!  They are so interesting….they are glass beads that have been made them formed into the odd little shape….almost like a flower!  There are some really great colors too!!

Well tomorrow is a really big day for us…..it's our 34th wedding anniversary ….. hard to believe how lucky I've been to have my wonderful husband in my life!  I did get the right one the second time around!!

Sooo I'm going to close tonight with a great quote I read this week also…..again something to think about tomorrow when you start your day…….

Each morning we are born again.  

What we to today is what matters most!  

                                               Buddha

Go out and have a creative day…..and do what matters most to you!

Til next week!

Week 22 of 52

Wow hard to believe we're already into the 22nd week of the year…….where has the time gone!!
Thanks God it's Monday and we get the chance to start a new week!

Heres what I was doing most of last week……in between all the rain we had and my failed equipment!!

This is one of the new wash tubs that I brought home from Austin…….I had to cut out the center….that's where the failed equipment came in……I have the Dremel Saw Max and LOVE it until I tried to change the blade from an all purpose to a metal blade….it just couldn't be done!!
Sooo I cut and cut with the AP blade…..then tried to get my husband to see if he could get the blade changed…..he couldn't either!  Soooo the wonderful man he is…..he took it to HD to see if they could……well of course they couldn't do it with the allan wrench that the company provided…..he got out some socket wrenches and ALMOST couldn't do it with that……but FINALLY it released and the guys were able to change the blade……zoo what was taking me HOURS to do I got done in less than an hour……BUT totally used up the whole metal blade in cutting two center post out of these new wash tubs……WELL WORTH IT…….check them out!!

After a new coat of paint on the old tubs….and then new paint on the new tubs

Don't you just LOVE the color!!  Three of the 4 tubs now have beautiful Mexican Lime trees in them…..just waiting for the 4th to be put in this coming weekend AFTER hubby gets back from Austin (that's where we had to get them……no one has them up here in the DFW area)

We lost our three tree this past winter……my fault…..I didn't move them into the garage…..WON'T make that mistake again!  Everything we did move into the garage during the freeze.. made it, including the bougainvillea and boston ferns ……sooo lesson learned, while living up in the DFW area…..move tropical plants into the garage!

It was a short week for me……focused on the back yard and the new plants that I got, refreshed,  repainted and looking good….. just in time for our high 90 degree weather!

Hope you all have had a good week and look forward to sharing some of my new adventures that are coming up this week……new class at the Craft Guild of Dallas and I'm giving PMC another try this week as well…….oh and my favorite, water aerobics is starting this week as well…..here's to the water and some great exercise!!

It's the beginning of summer, so go out and enjoy it ……create create and then create some more!

Til next week!

Memorial Day Posting

Found these messages that I wanted to pass along……..For decades, men and women of the military in Texas and across the country have made the ultimate sacrifice to serve our nation. Memorial Day was officially set aside for Americans to remember the sacrifice they’ve made so our freedoms could be preserved.

Today, we remember those service members, the Soldiers and Marines, the Airman and Sailors -- everyone who lost their lives in conflicts from the American Revolution to Operation Iraqi Freedom. We remember them today, we remember them tomorrow, and we remember them always.

Thank you from a Citizen who appreciates your service……Thank You!

Week 21 of 52

First  let me Quote President Harry S. Truman on this Memorial Day

"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid.
They have earned our undying gratitude.
America will never forget their sacrifices."

For all those who have served our country, past and present…..thank you!  That's not enough, and you deserve much more…..but thank you again!

Well don't know about you, but I had a great week……..I finished up my classes at Brookhaven for now…..I'm off on other adventures as I've shared with you.  Still exploring but know for sure I'll be joining the Gem and Mineral Group in Arlington……I met a few of the members on Friday at the International Gem and Mineral show….loved their energy and am most excited to see what they do that I can incorporate into my jewelry…..I'll keep you informed as I progress.

Speaking of the International Gem and Mineral show…. I was able to go on Friday…came home with just a few treasures…..a couple cabs that I hope to add to some of my other stones….a few bali type focus pieces then of course I had to get a few more strands of beads…..geez when will I get to the point I have enough??  Probably never, heehee!  Now my goal is to use them…….sooo I was cursing Pinterest for ideas … think I have a few good ones…..sooo now it's all about getting started, right?

We were lucky to have two of our children (plus wife) come and stay with us on Friday…..we had a great time, sampled the Apple Pie Moonshine (well Z & A did) they both liked it but thought it would be better in the fall…..and apple pie is more of a fall thing!
As summer approaches we'll have to mix up the Margarita Moonshine….that's more of the summer type drinks!
We played in Grapevine on Saturday AM……went to the Farmers Market and then a wonderful little coffee/bakery shop on main street….and since we had all the dogs with us, we sat outside and enjoyed the sunny weather…and some of the best breakfast tacos…..yum!

Didn't do much in the way of ART this past week…..worked on several things but nothing was totally finished……except…..the Celtic knot bracelet ( the one Betty showed us how to do)…and since I had done two I was able to give one to Courtney for her big 40th Bday at her party…..she seemed to like it and I enjoyed sharing it with her!  (my photos again won't come up…will need to work on that AGAIN……geez sometimes I'm just more blond than what I've paid for, heehee)

This week was mared with sad news of an old friend (know Suzy for over 30 years)….she is not doing well with her cancer….it seems to have spread to her brain and lungs!  It's my hope that as she is moved into hospice that they give her enough drugs to keep her comfortable.

I've got a week off before my classes start at the Craft Guild so my plans are to get my plants, cleaned up, plant the new ones and replace the dead ones and paint my new washing machine tubs…..I'm trying to decide on what fun color to do them in…..right now I'm leaning towards Orange…..but I have  several cans of Turquoise so may just stitch to that …..but regardless they need a fresh coat on the old and color on the new…..fun fun fun!
Mother Nature is blessing us with a ton of rain, so I'm not complaining……I'll wait to paint til it's a bit warmer or at least dryer, heehee!  Enough other stuff to work on!

Okay that's about all folks…….until next time…….Create Create and then Create some more!
I'll leave you with this thought….

"What you need to understand is this….just because something's impossible,
doesn't mean you shouldn't do it"  Kassie Temple

Week 20 of 52

TGIM……oh how I love saying those words….it's the beginning of a new week and I have lots to share with you!  Saw this quote and just LOVED it….and wanted to share it
Nora was such an interesting person or at least had a GREAT imagination, sooo current and real …… I mean who could forget Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally…..I know you know the scene I'm talking about…..what a hoot!

What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. 
Nora Ephron

Okay….What are we going to do?
Well I can say I didn't get to the collage this week….I'm sad about that……..I just can't do everything, as much as I want to….I have to admit I can't!

I did however did a few pieces of jewelry finished……..and started a few…..sorted some stones for upcoming projects…..did a bit of inventory, so when I go to the Gem and Mineral show Friday I can fill in what I'm missing……how's that for some great planning!!

I had a great time with the Jewelry Junkies this week……we made a fabulous bracelet…..have to say we couldn't have done it without Betty's great teaching!  Thanks Betty!
Here's the bracelet………

Betty did some variations of the same bracelet by adding beads to the pattern

Looks great doesn't it?  Thanks again Betty…..I hope to use this in making some necklaces or at least some parts of a necklace…..great idea right?

It was such a great project that several of us did it again on Sunday……it's always a good thing for me to get some reinforcement on how to do something BEFORE I forget, heehee!

I finished up a few things in my make up class tonight but it looks like the computer is a bit slow on the downloading…..so might not make it into my news for this week, but I'm sure I'll show you all the pieces in my next posting!

Did get a chance to catch up on my sleep this weekend….just hated that it had to be a our friends country place….but when the body and mind just can't stay upright it's best to pay attention and take a nap…..that's just what I did….and I NEVER can take naps……sure wish I could but not in my DNA!

Have lots coming up…..my daughter is coming in town for one of her best friends 40th birthday party, youngest son and his wife will be here also…..so it should be a lively time here this weekend, if only for one night here and then at the party….then at a BBQ the next day……whew might need another nap….maybe my NEVER is changing, heehee!

Soooo better say good night, sleep well and have a safe Memorial Day weekend……oh and don't forget to create…no matter the mess…..it's well worth it!!

Til next time!