Sometimes Life is Too Much.

Recently, there have been a lot of changes and life events for some of my dearest and closest friends. My dearest friend of 30 years has been diagnosed with liver cancer. I know we are all surrounding her with help and love but I feel so helpless for her and her family. We are all pitching in but it never seems like enough.

Another friend (can I say best? It feels like I'm leaving some one out by saying "best" but she really is a gem of a soul) has moved across the country. She will still be my friend and I know we will call often and I know she is doing what is best for herself and of course her family but I am still so sad about it. My selfish logic has hightailed it and is in total denial.

Even the good things feel like too much right now. My little studio is busting with work so I am keeping my hands and mind busy. Good things sometimes don't feel good when you are loaded down with worry...

Yellow Is...

Yield. Bananas. Sunshine. Warm. Fall. Pages. Lemon meringue pie. Roses. Golden. Brick road. Dandelions. Butter. Peppers. Post its. Pikachu. Corn Flakes. Popcorn. Peeps. Mello. 

Why did I not love you before my sunny friend?

Mustard.

Let's Just Skip To Winter...

OK. Maybe I am just a tad early or this heat has me delusional (can you say 102) but I am dreaming of sweaters and mittens and something that as a native Southern Californian, I've never actually seen, truly cold weather. We managed to have some hail a few years back but it melted on contact. I am sure I'd be a big whiny baby if we ever did get some cold but until then, I will dream of mitten weather.

Studio Saturday with Gaea Handmade

This was posted on the Art Bead Scene blog a while back. I forgot to share it here when it originally posted, so here it is now...

Time Flies.

Can you believe that this year is half over? I can almost see the start of the school year which means that fall is within our sights and the summer is nearly over, gone in a flash! I am trying to cram in every little bit of fun, a promise I made to Robert. We haven't had a proper beach day yet for a swim in the ocean, but truth be told, I am happy to stay out of the sun and not have sand find it's way... well you can imagine. (The beach photos were taken at Muir State Beach where we did not get wet, so it doesn't really count!) Reflecting on the last six months... The vacation to Hearst Castle we had planned but had to cancel. The trip to my cousins wedding in San Francisco, we took, but was oh so quick. The movies we haven't seen yet. The back-to-school frenzy that is about to happen. The work still needing to be done. Here is a recap of what has been a beautiful 6 months.... 

Put a bird on it! Bird rock at Muir State Beach. Beautiful hanging lanterns in San Francisco. Clementines new fur do (I didn't think they would shave her entire body!) Happy Ketchup at Johnny Rockets. My cool 'stash. Doesn't every body have one? The kids Easter eggs.

Pyewacket keeping things warm. More Muir Beach. Crazy pink. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Gem beads. Wavy disk beads.

Golden Gate Bridge in the fog. Entranced by the "waves" at MBA. The Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at Golden Gate Park. Ojai on a bad day.

Garden bounty. Co-op butterfly. Cats care not for your work problems. Rocks. Sunset! Copper framed ceramic pendants. Papa Lennon's patio.

View from the aquarium. Japanese tea gardens. Inspiration design cards.

Thankfully a little time flying has provided some creative ideas...

From design to glazed piece...

Think Fall.

Did you read "Joe and the Snow" when you were little? It is the story of a kid who REEEEEEally wants it to snow, so he "thinks" snow all day and all night and in the morning there is more snow than you could wag a ski poll at. I don't need snow but I could be really happy with some "fall" weather so I have been "thinking" fall...

Come on everyone! Think "fall" with me!

Time Flies...

Sometimes the summer feels like one long unmonitored free-for-all where time is concerned. The markers for bed times and times to be places seem fuzzy and far away, which sometimes makes me feel as if time is going faster than it really is....

Etsy Shop Update...

This....

will be here....

www.gaea.etsy.com

Tomorrow! 10 am.

Inspiration Strikes!

Inspiration. Where does it come from? When you can't find it... Where has it been? Sometimes it eludes me and other times is a flood that can barely be contained. In those times when inspiration seems to be hiding, I've always thought it would be useful to have a bit stored in a jar or hidden in a coat pocket. This got me to thinking about what inspires me. Nature is a wealth of inspiration. My kids do and say things by the minute that inspire me. Before I had little ones performing magic on a daily basis, I had more time to create and explore designs and mediums. One way that was fun to create was to pull pages from a magazine and just start cutting and arranging. Shapes, colors, texture, hue... All the things you were presented in a design class would be right there in front of you. Wheeeee! I've had this idea in the back of my mind for a few years, to create a deck of cards to pull out for inspiration.... It has taken a long time but I finally designed a pack of 25 cards to "play" and design with. Shuffle, arrange, play....

Art Bead Scene Blog: Cool Summer Blues

Art Bead Scene Blog: Cool Summer Blues

I created this collection over at the ABS Blog! Think cool thoughts in this summer weather!

Christmas In July.

Every time. It never gets old. Opening the kiln is like Christmas! We have finally gotten into our summer routine. Up a little too late but enjoying sleeping in as well. Actually, the kids have managed to sleep in, I've been surviving on 6 hours a night and lots of caffeine! But the thrill of newness in the kill also keeps me going! Summer camps and visits with friends. Trips to the water park for swimming and cooling off. Making time for all this has been tough and keeping up with orders has made me reflect on what is working in my life and what isn't. I've taken a leave of absence from Made In Ojai. I dearly love the artist and the support that has been shared but sometimes you just need to take a step back and evaluate what is working and what is not. Saying "no" is good and for me is necessary. I think as a society we want to give everything our all. For me that means giving everything my all but limiting what my all is going to be....

Eat Your Limas!

So, so excited to see all the new goodies up on the Lima Beads website! Ali and Kevin and their team work so hard to create a jewelry designers paradise! They newly remodeled their site and I have had such a good time window (and not so window) shopping and discovering new techniques and how to videos! Because they make such an effort, continuously adding to their ever expanding inventory, there is always something new to see and new deals to be had. I totally appreciate this!

Summer Dreams...

Summer is here and so is the heat. I am trying to embrace it. Really. I am. Trips to the water park and visits to the ocean are all part of a season that really is very short. It was astonishing to see oversized pencils hanging in Target this week, harkening the arrival of back-to-school and shortly after, fall. In this instance, I am choosing to not plan ahead. To just enjoy the wee bit of summer and time with my kids. To slumber in the colors of summer...

Copper.

Why do I love copper so much? It is warm to look at and cool to touch. You can beat it with a hammer and it gets even better! Throw some liver of sulphur on it and it is darkened to a beautiful chocolate. Rub that patina and it just POPS! Love. Love. Love.

It makes friends with every medium. Glass. Ceramic. Gems. Paper.... I think it would be friendly with an old shoe.

Bohemian Dream! Bohemian Inspired Jewelry Is Here!

I have been a fan of Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegel for a few years and was so excited for them when I heard about their new book! Alas, patience is not my strong suit and waiting for what seems like an eternity for Bohemian Inspired Jewelry to arrive was just about the end of me! Luckily it was so worth the wait! A few select guest designers are featured, including Denise Yezbak Moore, Mary Jane Dodd, and Tracy Statler. The book design is lush and the projects are inviting! It is always exciting to add a few new techniques to your design tool belt and there are many I am excited to try like the half-hitch knot and the half-hitch knotted loop! I had a chance to play with a few design ideas in the bohemian theme....

Thank you post person!

Inspiring designs from Tracy Statler and Denise Yezbak Moore!

So many ideas!

You can find links to other blogs sharing their Bohemian Inspired Jewelry designs at the Beading Daily Blog.

The book is being offered at a discount here http://www.interweavestore.com/Jewelry-Making/Books/Bohemian-Inspired-Jewelry.html

Or you can find the ebook here http://www.interweavestore.com/Jewelry-Making/Books/Bohemian-Inspired-Jewelry-eBook.html

Happy designing!

Gemified!

This studio would be decorated with sparkly gems from floor to celling if I had my way! It was mothers day so my lovely family indulged me with a trip to Gem Fair! I was looking for pinks for a necklace for my mom... I found a lot more!

A few things that have helped me at Gem Fair...

Take a camera. Take photos of booths and items that you might want to contact or look at after the show.
Even photograph what you purchased so if you want more you can send the vendor a photo list for easy reorders.

Make a list of colors you need or bring photos of items you want to color match that way you don't loose the original item.

Buy something not on your list. Even if I have a list, buying at least one thing that is out of my usual comfort zone will inspire creativity. Of course I don't want to blow my budget on things that will not be useful, but a $5 item usually will not break the bank.

It never hurts to ask. Even if the price says "50% off", ask for an additional discount, you never know what kind of deal you might get if you don't ask!

Bring the BIG purse.

If you have a shopping tip, please share!