Go!

Well, it's go time! Time to kick it into high gear and just GET THIS FIRING DONE! It is hard doing just a monthly firing and have been URGED by my dearest to consider maybe a twice monthly firing. It would be fun to have more new goodies in a timely fashion to play with as well. I'm always pushing hard to get the firing DONE! And it would make customers a bit happier as well. Just something to ponder.

Back In Black!

For years now I have avoided using the color black. Which is funny since we lived our teen years in nothing but black (and the Earl Scheib inspired hair color). "Are you kids on your way to a funeral?" or "Who died?" (yo mama!). In art class it was "There is no black! Only darker versions of the colors are used! DO YOU SEE BLACK IN THOSE SHADOWS?!?!?" So I've struggled with using/wearing black for years. Not anymore baby! Black is back! At least it is for me. I made these hand painted beads months ago but I was having trouble working them into jewelry. Alone they were fine but the minute I tried to put my typical copper or silver wire with them or other beads they just looked off. Apparently they needed a little black! I think they are fun and special and totally remind me of being a teenager, but only in a good way (out with your best friends, rollin' into the parking lot of Denny's at midnight for a cig and a cup o' joe) ROCK N' ROLL BABY!

Not as far as I would like to be...

Today is the day I will drop the clay work and pick up the bead work. I will spend most of today making jewelry for this Sunday. I was hoping some fun goodies I ordered from etsy would be here so I could incorporate them into the mix. Next time. I have a hard time switching gears especially when I am in the groove. I will just have to get into the jewelry groove and see where it takes me. I was also hoping to add a few new items to the web site but the pictures I keep taking are not turning out well. Hmmm...

So long. Fare well. We hate to say goodbye!

Well, one quick call to our local humane society and General Grevious was back with his family. Duke, as we came to find out, only lived a block away. He fit right into our little family and we all felt very sad to see him go but happy that he has a family that loves him. It is insane that with in 24 hours this sweet dog was here and it felt like he had never not been.

There is too much to do before this weekends Earth Day 2008 festival (if you are in Ojai this Sunday, find me at Oak Grove School!) I had hoped to get this months firing done early to have some fun new things to play with. I have high hopes of making 40 pairs of earrings and 50 necklaces. Hmmm... what are the child labor laws again? Ok, enough procrastination!

Here General Grievous, Here boy!

So we found a stray, a mighty adorable Basset Hound over the weekend, running wild with a pack of dogs. This happens frequently in our neighborhood. My husband tried to round as many up into our yard as possible to keep them safe. We got two and only one had a name tag so he made his way home. The other is now happily napping, playing and eating as a part of the family. At least that is what my 6 year old and 42 year old children are hoping. I think he's adorable but honestly, 3 dogs!?! My 6 year old has decided to name him "General Grievous, MOM! No! LEGO! No! General Grievous!!!!" Why? "Because he has red eyes!!! And I love General Grievous. Mom, can we keep General Grievous?" Um, no. We've been playing Star Wars Legos. I'm thinking that there is a family missing him terribly. I'll put signs up this afternoon. Mean mommy.

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue...

OK. I've been repeating this to myself over and over again. It makes me laugh and takes the edge off when things get tough. It came from the first season of the Tracey Ullman Show, (I miss that show!) back before they had the Simpson's between skits. It was this cartoon of two women of a certain age, in a car, one attempting to show the other how to drive on the freeway. The driver was anxious and nervous and kept repeating "calm blue ocean" over and over again in a very panicky way. As they drove along the slightest thing would make her panic and she would repeat her mantra in an increasingly panicked tone! Hilarious. So for years this has been our mantra and yesterday was one of those days that needed a mantra. It irks me to no end when you are trying to play by the rules but the giant corporation you are playing with isn't. And let's just say that this time of the month I should be barricaded in the kitchen with some old Sex and the City DVDs, a cup of coffee and a pint of Ben and Jerry's. So it took all of my strength not to reach through phone and strangle some poor schlep who was maybe doing their job?!? It all started last month in a serious attempt to cut my business costs. I figured out that by getting rid of my credit card processing company and using only PayPal I could save at least $30 a month. So I just lucked out and called to cancel my serves the one time I can within a 24 month cycle, which was last month. It took quite tome doing and a lot of run around but managed to send emails to the right people. So what should appear on this months bank statement? A charge of $60!!! Not only had they not canceled my account but they added another $10 to my bill!!! ARGH! So I called up and got a run around and they tried to tell me that I didn't cancel but if I would like to I could but there would be a $275 dollar cancelation fee. Uh. No. So I get my contract out and what he telling me is not correct (mine says $240 at least!) and of course he can't change anything in the system. So I send him a copy of what I have and like magic, the system changes! After more run around I ask for a supervisor and I've been on the phone back and forth for hours. I keep thinking this is costing them more in man hours than my $275 and they have lost me as a customer already anyway. They never tried to win me back either. And yet when I called the office where I sent my cancellation notice they said I had been canceled. Duh. UGH! So the lovely supervisor get on the line and wrangles the 6 headed beast into a logical conclusion! Yes! I have been canceled. No! I will not have to pay the fee! AHHHH! calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean....

This one is for you Mellanie! (my son is on a General Grievous kick and it made me calm blue ocean.)

see more crazy cat pics

Wishing and Hoping.

I've been all over the place this week. Maybe it is a form of procrastination but I get flooded with ideas and feel compelled to produce them all at once. I know I have other things to get done yet here I am working on something that doesn't really need to get done right away. I guess it is better than not getting anything done. Of course making new ideas happen is far more fun than doing laundry or washing dishes (Imagine my shock! Oh! Are they dirty again?!!?). I can not wait to see these new heart pendants with glaze! And I just picked up some really fun looking new colors! Wheeee! Now I guess I will have to get all that other work done to see the glazes. Humpf!

Detour!

I had planned a "trip" to Italy but was detoured to Japan. I had gone through some old sketches and thought that this idea fit nicely with my world tour! A japanese lantern pendant has been one of those back burner things... I could totally see these as a charm bracelet. Or a locket!!!

The vacation I would take...

Since I will not be off on that fabulous vacation anytime soon, I decided to take a visual vacation... come with me on a trip to Paris, mon amour...



Next stop... Italy! I can dream can't I!

Deep sigh! The taxes are filed!

So now that the taxes are all tucked safely in at the IRS, I have so much catch up to do it is unreal! How can two charming and (almost) perfect children make such a mess (I had nothing to do with it! I swear!)? Bad parenting! I should be showing them how to become clean, tidy, responsible citizens. Well, at least I'm on the right track with responsible. I feel like I've spent so much time on all the yucky paper work and tax stuff that I can't settle my mind on a fun project to do. I haven't worked much with the clouds. They are very tempting. I did get a chance to do some mold making for some new "tulip" pendants. I've been wanting to work on a mold for an "eiffel tower" frame. I tend to list items for sale, but don't have them actually made yet. I think it would be nice for people to actually see what they are ordering, but nicely enough people usually end up ordering items with no image shown. Very trusting! Here is the new "tulip", I can't wait to see her with some glaze! Unglazed clay always looks so neked! I did a heart shape too that I'm very fond of. The two pendants are slightly different. Would you choose one over the other?

Taxes Schmaxes!

Ugh! I love this spring weather. I hate these spring taxes! And I'm a bit leery about this economic stimulation money that we are supposed to get in a few weeks. I have a feeling it isn't what it seems. Although I could easily see spending a good chunk on jewelry supplies! Wheee! If you are sent money for stimulating the economy, how or what would you splurge on yourself?

Spring has sprung... Let the cleaning begin!

It was a funny, bunny filled weekend with lots of candy and spring cleaning. I could have spent another two days on just the studio alone. Our yard sale/donation boxes have piled up to the point where my studio looked like a dysfunctional thrift store rather than a ceramic work area. It is now neatly piled into two sections. The Rescue Mission pile is awaiting it's pick up while the yard sale pile is waiting for a yet to be determined date. I hope it is sooner rather than later! It's time in the sun will soon be here!

Sunday the Easter Bunny made a visit to our house and my big boy shouted "Thank you Easter Bunny! Where ever you are!!!" My little one just had fun following her big brother. Calder noticed that we really don't know what the Big Bunny looks like "for real". I put my two cents in and imagined that he looks like Mr. Herriman from Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends (a house hold favorite!) The Easter Bunny brought us a fun new "Harry the Dirty Dog" book. This one is about a neighbor who sings too loudly for Harry's ears! How did the bunny know we had our eye on that new Doug and Melissa play sushi set?!? It is seriously the cutest thing ever! It has chop sticks!


I did get a chance to play with a few new beads and pendants this weekend and incorporated some of the new seed beads that I got back in February. They were such beautiful ocean-esque colors that I had to work in an ocean/mermaid theme. I love giving jewelry "titles", maybe because they seem like art to me. I like "Caught in Her Net" or "The Mermaids Garden". I don't know if it is obvious if the tail is a mermaid tail, my husband didn't guess that. I guess it could just as easily be a fish tail. The glaze is my new favorite color combo, Robins Egg on Brick! Ok. Enough play time, the taxes will not do them selves!

Spring has sprung.

It has been so beautiful lately it makes it hard to concentrate. Spring fever indeed. We NEVER water the yard so the bit of rain we've had this winter has had a greening effect on our yard. Makes it hard to find the doggie bombs but oh well. I don't really care to. I did manage to take a few pictures around town of some particularly beautiful scenery.... you can see Shrek and Fiona just behind the trees...



The sky really is that blue!

The Acatia trees are just amazing and photos don't do them justice.

Back in the saddle...

I've been really sick and really busy. The two don't marry well. Hopefully I'll be able to post a few new pictures later this week. I haven't even emptied the kiln to see if the new ideas came out alright. Some celestial and nouveau goddesses! A talented jewelry designer LORELEI created a really pretty necklace using one of our leaf pendants. If you check out her blog and leave a comment you could win the necklace this week.

Maaahtha

A beading/craft friend Stephanie Bodine was recently on Martha. She had a great segment with a really fun project! Check her out! Yay Stephanie! www.bocageny.com