December 27, 2012

Almost a New Year

I was plesantly surprised to find that I am now able to blog from my phone. Maybe itis my new phone or maybe blogger changed something, but I wasn't able to do this a few months ago... I have been enjoying hiking lately and finding little treasures growing along the trail as well as some lovely inspiration..






December 24, 2012

They Keep Splashing Me!

It is hours before Christmas and the new little fish pendants will not let me rest! So, I have gathered them up into my bundles and will be listing them @ www.gaea.etsy.com on the 26th noonish!

December 14, 2012

In Denial




I don't think there is any other rightful place to be when you lose a dear friend. All the years of friendship with Caitriona, and I counted 30 in all, you never think about final words or the last time we... So I sit here is total denial that a cherished friend is not around the next corner, or ready to tell me about what her 3 boys are up to or how proud or frustrated or adoring she is about them. Even after all the wonderful stories are shared and times spent laughing are reminisced, I will not believe she is not just a phone call away. Our Thursday breakfast ritual, in spite of the other amazing friends at the table, feels so empty. Her voice echos in my mind and heart, her laugh just out of reach. So, if you will forgive my talking to the wind or crying mid sentence, I will continue to be in denial about this deep loss. It is the only place for me to be.


November 23, 2012

More Than Thankful...


I hope everyone had a beautiful day yesterday! I am so thankful to be able to help support my family doing what I love. I am starting a sale today and offering a 15% off @ www.gaea.etsy.com through Sunday. You can find the coupon code on my facebook page by clicking the "like" button at the top of my shop! Many thanks! Gaea

November 18, 2012

Gingerbread and Keys and Such...

Etsy update! Monday 11/19 at noon (PST)! Gingerbread houses, keys, and gift with purchase listings...






November 14, 2012

Ginger Bread.

Oh my! How this year has flown by and the holidays have jumped up on me like a bad dog about to take advantage of my leg. (Down boy! Down!) As usual I am running to catch up to the holiday train that has nearly left the station by adding jewelry to my etsy shop and making a few holiday theme "thank you" gifts...


November 6, 2012

Gift Mob

Did you read my post about my phone conversation with Beverly? It got me thinking... I had sent her a small packet of goods to enjoy. Upon receiving them she called to say "Thank you!" We spoke for a bit more and she told me how she rearranged her work space to accommodate her wheel chair. I also realized how hard it must be for her to get out and shop on her own (thus the need for a catalog). Here is my idea.... If you have a few jewelry making supplies that you are willing to part with (I know I have many things gathering dust!) and perhaps a paper catalog for your business or another supply company that you can part with, I thought it would be fun to surprise Beverly with a gift box of jewelry making supplies. Even a used pair of round nose pliers or cutters would be great! So if you are interested in making someone happy please let me know if you would like to participate! It would be good to get a box to her before Thanksgiving! Leave a comment or email me! THANKS!




November 1, 2012

Feeling Thankful

As I wear all of the hats in this little enterprise, answering phones and returning calls is part of my job. If you have ever had a job where answering a phone is part of your job then you may have had a call or two with customers that would not get to the point and you felt pressure to hurry them along. Goodness gracious knows you wouldn't want to make your boss mad! You can sometimes get a feeling of what type of call it will by by the tone in the other persons voice. Are they angry? Appreciative? Tired? When a woman named Beverly called and left me a message the other day, inquiring about a paper catalog I could immediately feel my stress level go up a bit.

Being expensive to print and not having many requests for them, I had stopped making them a while ago. It has been my experience that most catalog customers do not have computers and usually do their shopping by phone. I was mentally preparing myself for the disappointment of having to tell a potential customer "no" to their lovely request. I called her back and let her know about the catalogs and she asked a few questions. And then a few more. And then a few more.... I started to feel a bit impatient when she was asking me about the cost of goods that I didn't make or carry. Then I stopped myself and realized that all she really wanted was a bit of company and a little chat.

Maybe it was the sweetness in her voice or that she reminded me of my grandmother but something kept me on the line and I didn't feel the need to beg her off or hurry her along. In conversing, I found out she was in the path of hurricane Sandy and wondered if she was in harms way. She told me about her grandson and how he checked in on her everyday in spite of his working 2 jobs. He sounds like a good boy. At 76, Beverly had just discovered her love of jewelry making and was looking for supply catalogs. We talked for a bit about jewelry and magazines and children and missing grandparents and I so enjoyed hearing about her life as a foster parent and and just enjoyed how wonderful her positive spirit is. She reminded me of how lucky we are and how blessed we are. Her final word were "You are wonderful!" I will carry her words in my heart... Thank you, Beverly, so are you.


October 18, 2012

Brown, Gold and Green

My favorite fall colors and themes have inspired the 13 new bead sets available now at Lima Beads...

Brown Bird

Cup O' Joe

Daisy Dream

Fall Acorn

Fall Daisy

Fall Sky

Fall Sticks

Giddy Up

Golden Acorn

Golden Leaf

Green Leaf Canyon

Orange Leaf

Tree Tale

October 4, 2012

A Little Help For My Friend...



I met Caitriona when I was 12 years old.

We attended a private school in Ojai together where my father worked. With a small student body, everyone knew everyone. Even so, Caitriona seemed to get along well with everyone and I think it is fair to say she was well liked, in fact she is still friends with many of our former classmates!

Born in Korea, Caitriona was adopted by an American father and an Irish mother. It is an understatement to say she has a wicked sense of humor and a penchant for naught words.

Over the years, our lives have taken us in different directions. Her path took her north for school and eventually to Seattle where she started a family. I moved south and went to school and also started a family but we both ended up back in Ojai.

As a busy mother of three active boys, she still finds time for her creative endeavors and is a talented silversmith. Ever generous with her time and talent, she has shown me many of her techniques. I am proud to own several of her jewelry designs!

She had been struggling with what she thought was intestinal inflammation from a food allergy. A hard knot grew in her stomach and was keeping her from eating. A trip to the doctors revealed something more serious. Her wicked sense of humor in tact she issued this announcement to friends and loved ones...

"Fellow humans, and others!
I am writting to you today because here I sit at 43 years old, pondering what my life is all about..... a most irritating exerercise I don't recommend it!, (I'll spare you all the details, or even the basics!), what I am writting to say, is that I have most recently been diagnosed with the big "C", no, that is not constipation or canker sores, it's one of our more uncomfortable friends, cancer (mine has found a cozy spot in my liver).  My cancer, or should I say cancers, (we don't want to limit it to one small little tumor, we want to spread the wealth for that bigger and harder challenge!) is called Aliena for her strong resemblance to an alien protruding distortedly and disruptively from my abdomen and of course her offspring (I chose not to name them for fear of unnecessary attachment and potential death bonding). So, I wanted to let you all know where I am in life, kind of like, "Where is Waldo", but in my case, I'll always be found on my couch, bed or under some fantastic ultra nifty high technological scan while being exposed to high doses of radiation, so they can determine how much more dosages of radiation they can give me. Frankly, I'd prefer to be hit by a semi but that was not my journey and this is. So, my dear friend Janice came up with this great site that allows us to keep people informed, should you have any interested. Please take note, I will not ask whether you are reading, I will be too busy suffering :)
Good luck to you..................... I mean, good luck to me , the good luck to you, is putting up with me because the way I see it, if I suffer, I do my best for all around me to suffer too, after all -sharing is caring !!! 
With Love and better health to you all,

Caitriona"

Laughter is the best medicine. (that and an expensive dose of daily chemotherapy.)

Knowing how cheap medicine and doctor visits are I thought sitting back and doing nothing would be the best bet. Oh. What's that you say? They are ridiculously exorbitant? Well then, look for the "Caitrionas F*ing Journey" listings in my etsy shop tomorrow at 10. The entire listing sale (except for the shipping) will go to Caitriona. If you think that isn't going to cover the thousands of dollars in medical expenses or time off from work, or feeding three hungry teenage boys, you are probably right and you can donate directly here...



Donation items will be listed in my etsy shop 10/5/12 at 10 am.
www.gaea.etsy.com
Caitrionas beautiful designs can be seen here...
www.cmeek68.etsy.com
Many thanks, Gaea

October 1, 2012

Seasons

I will try not to whine too much about the 108 degrees that are todays predicted high. I will instead focus on the firing that is midway and the Halloween goodies inside...


Charms drying and begging for some color!


My wishful thinking for today.

No season needed to love an elephant!

September 19, 2012

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...


September 6, 2012

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.

August 30, 2012

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.




August 28, 2012

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...