Nothing Normal About It

:: gotta love random mondays where i hit you with all the goings on in our house in just a few words
:: my visit with kelley was wonderful, and too short
:: i was able to finish the aging on our new bed frame and we installed it this weekend... it is absolutely wonderful!
:: we were inspired to make this project by this post on deep thoughts by cynthia, and we used this tutorial, though we had to modify it to make it king size
:: i slept like a baby the first night in our new bed
:: this was our old bed, and yes, i rearranged the room... this is our "fall" layout
:: next period of free time i have will be spent making pretty throw pillows, our linens and pillows are rather lacking
:: we also decided to tackle another home improvement project... a leaky bathroom
:: we found the source of that pool of water collecting on the basement floor by my treadmill
:: leaks don't always come from pipes, old tile walls with crumbling grout will leak too
:: by this time tomorrow, the kids should be able to use their shower again
:: speaking of tackling... jacob had his first football game last thursday... he is an animal this season
:: oh how i love to watch my boy do what he loves
:: and oh how i miss doing what i love!
:: so so so excited to get to the studio today and work
:: work work work!!
:: the bead soup blog party is fast approaching, artbliss goodies need making, i'm finishing up my snaptastic ebook for students, and then some
:: i was so looking forward to things getting "back to normal" when school started back up... it has been anything but normal

My New Studio Companion

She still needs a name, but more about this antique mall find will be shared soon!

Stash Bash!

It is time for me to put my author hat on, just for a moment. My publisher, Interweave, has a fun new promotion going on that I am taking part in. All are welcome to participate, so come join the party!! You could even win prizes!! This party is a Stash Bash and it is running in conjunction with their new Post-Labor Day Stash Buster Sale!! (Yeah, they are letting you raid their stash of books so you can bust your stash of supplies, ha!)




"What is a Stash Bash?", you ask. Well, it isn't like the Mustashio Bashio that my sister went to with out me a few years ago. That was the party where everyone shows up with a fake mustash. No, this part is all about sharing photos of your stashes at home. (or in my case, at my studio) Your stash is your stuff! Whether it is your 80 rolls of colored wire, or 1 billion strands of beads, or miles of yarn waiting to be knit. Really, it is anything you love to collect for your crafting and arting. Plus, this party is about sharing the creative ways to store your stash as well. Interweave has created a Flickr Group:: Stash Bash as a forum to share those stash photos.

I still feel like my studio space is in its fledgling stages. I feel like I tweak it things a bit every time I am there, but I have lots of things stashed there. I love my small collection of old books collected from local estate sales. The cover designs really speak to me and at 50 cents to a dollar each, I can't resist them. Their pages are perfect for resin projects too. And hey, I'll let you in on a tiny secret... there is a resin project in my new book Rustic Wrappings!!

I showed you this past Spring the beautiful cabinet Ron found for me with the dozens of sorting drawers. Slowly but surely I have been filling up those drawers with some of my beading goodies. There is the drawer for my Sari Silk, the one with my brass spacers, the one with my paper scraps... there are 54 drawers, I could go on. The cabinet itself it kind of a stash item. I love collecting antique cabinets and cases for organizing.





Other bits from my studio stash is my collection of colored wire from Parawire in every color I can get my hands on, I'm still collecting vintage enamel pins (and earrings too), and oh my glass!! Oh how I love glass and finding new colors to add to my stash!! *sigh* All this talk about all my favorite things has me wishing I could be in my studio right this minute!! (but, alas I am in the throws of a wonderful visit with my bestie, so studio time will have to wait until Monday.)

Okay, so there is a little peek into my stash. Time to share your stashes!! Load your photos to your flickr streams, join the Stash Bash flickr group, and start sharing. Interweave will be selecting winners at random to receive complimentary copies of a few of the different books set to release this Fall!!

While you are waiting to see if you win, head on over to Interweave's Stash Buster Sale and add a few new goodies to your book stash. You can even find my book Totally Twisted in the sale (at an awesome price!). If you can't wait for the book to ship, you can now get the ebook version as an instant download.

...and they are off to school.

and then, time ran away with me...

I had an inkling this would happen. I knew once September hit time would wrap into hyperdrive. And it did. How in the heck did it get to be the 6th already? The eve of school starting again!! The Christmas Eve of Small Biz Stay At Home Moms. (Not that I speak for everyone mind you, I am sure there are plenty of you dreading the start of school.) I have very little reason to believe time will slow before late October. This week my best friend Kelley will be here! Next week I prep for ArtBliss!! The following week IS ArtBliss!!! (it sucks only having one week of prep time, ugh) Then, when I get back, I prep for the Rustic Wrappings photoshoot!!!! Then, the following week IS the Rustic Wrappings photoshoot!!!!! Holy crow, I get tired just thinking about it.

I hope you'll join me for the whirlwind of a ride. It should be an interesting one.

PS... I decided on Sunday that Ron and I should build ourselves a new bed frame on top of everything else. Cuz, that's how I roll.

Finding Corbitt's Glen

It seems like ages ago that I shared our before-summer-ends list, but really it was less than two week ago. We have been doing lots in these past days. Working away at the list, fighting the bordem, and making just a few more memories.

Here is where the list currently stands:

• The Strong National Museum of Play (video game exhibit) check
• Swim at Ontario Beach Park check
• Play Frisbee Golf at Ellison Park and Picnic check
• Bowling
• Take a trip to a BIG zoo... The Buffalo Zoo
• Go camping, or to Aunt Mary's cottage check
• Cornmaze or Wickham Farms
• Planetarium or Science Center
• Check out the new Abraham Lincoln Park check
• Mini golf check
• Find Corbitt's Glen check
• Corning Museum of Glass
• Meet new school teachers check
• Stoneybrook Park
• Cupcakes @ Dollop check

Checking off "Find Corbitt's Glen" is what we did on Wednesday afternoon and we were joined by good friends. It was a little buggy, but incredibly beautiful! I can't wait to go back, with bug spray, and waterproof shoes. These falls look impressive, but the are really shallow and easily played in.










Today we'll be going mini golfing and to the beach. It is gearing up to be a hot one and a couple hours by the water will be welcome. Just a holiday weekend left to go and we'll be back to school! Can't freaking wait.

Limited Edition Preview

I mentioned the other day how excited I am about the new color combination for the Limited Edition Bang Gals Kit that I'll be taking to ArtBliss this year. The sets are only halfway through there construction, but I thought I would give you a little peek.

Dark red brown, transparent ink blue/purple, new lavender, transparent 14karat, RAKU!, and a yummy yellow color that I forgot the name of.

They have a crisp Fall feel that I am totally in love with. The purple brown yellow palette really hums together. And you throw in the touches of blue/green that the raku is giving off and gosh, I want a sweater and soup. I am mixing in some new surface designs too. In place of random dot patterns, I have raked the dots into falling leaf shapes. And there is one other design I am keeping top secret until the sets are complete. It is a design I have made several times for behind-the-scenes projects over the past few months. I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

This is just the beginning of the new kit colors I'll be rolling out! It feels good to be in the swing of thinking creatively in a beady way. School hasn't started yet (5 more days!), but I am sneaking up to work at the studio anytime I can. Stay tuned... it should be an inspiring ride on the way to ArtBliss!

Day & Night

Trying our hand at disc golf at the park by day and torching at the studio while discussing AP-Prep English summer reading homework by night. Yesterday was a full one.

soul satisfying sunrise and...

:: i saved the best photos from last week for today...
:: we were treated to the most beautiful sunrise e.v.e.r. on wednesday morning, or rather, the most beautiful half hour before the sun shown
:: i sat in awe
:: it was just last summer, at this same lake, that i learned i am a sunrise girl, not a sunset one... i still am
:: it really was a relaxing few days... wonderful weather, antiquing and wine tasting, a microbrewery, new friends (HI KATHERINE!), and memories made
:: it was bittersweet without Jacob though... it isn't a family photo without him
:: and in retrospect, i went over board with the national museum of play photos, oops... hope you weren't too bored!
:: time flies when you are having fun and i'm thankful for that! just 9 more days until school starts
:: i finish knitting my ruched sweater and i am head over heels in love with it
:: my friend makes the best grape pie ever and i may send my hubby to help hers with chopping trees more often if it will get me another slice
:: i hope my east coast friends made it through the big storms... i've been thinking of you
:: while the winds whipped, i spent an incredibly magical time in my studio on sunday... seriously, it was nothing short of magical... for my heart and soul
:: three solid hours at the torch and kit making for artbliss is officially underway
:: wait til you see the new color combo for the limited edition kits! do you remember the ones i made last year?
:: speaking of color... i wish i could pour the colors of that sunrise into a rod of glass
:: until that rod is invented, i'll wait, reveal in the warmth of torch toasted cheeks, and hold onto the threads of joy that were spun onto mandrels
:: it was down right invigorating
:: i hope i can sneak back to the studio tonight

(note, if you are into vacation photos, there are lots more in my flickr set - keuka 2011. there is so much more to see in the set!)