Diana

I took my mom and her friend to the Diana exhibit at the Western Reserve Historical Society. They had a number of her dresses, some tiarra's and her wedding gown on display. There were also films of both the wedding and her funeral and films from her childhood. It was interesting and sad to watch the video of her funeral. We went to lunch and then on to Coldwater Creek for some shpping. After that to Pettiti's Garden Center.

The rest of the weekend was spent working in the front yard. Cleaning out flower beds and re-landscaping the area that got dug up last September to replace a sewer tile. Next week we have to finish the front by mulching and putting down some flat stones to create a 2-tiered planting area. Plus I have some hostas to replant.

Tonight I finished 2 custom necklaces for a wedding. They matched some earrings that I has sold last October. The buyer wants the necklaces and earrings for the bridesmaids. I also reworked a couple of bracelets. The trick this time of year is to find the time to design while you keeping up with the yard work.

Faux Bone

I took an amazing class with Robert Dancik this weekend. What a great teacher. Check out his web site www.robertdancik.com The pic is Robert, Vanessa, and Jennifer. Jennifer made the most amazing piece of jewelry with the Faux Bone and placed it in a bezel that she designed herself. It's a stunner. It's always such a treat to spend an entire weekend doing nothing but art. Stress drains away, the heart slows down, and the brain sighs. If you're lucky you can reconnect with your creativity and do things you can't on a normal day....at least my normal day....deadlines, finances, HR problems, "Why can't I do this?", "Can you get me that?", too much to do, too little time....AHHH. That is why I take classes every chance I get...to disengage from my rat race and find some peace of mind.

Home Improvements

A new greenhouse opened up in Avon. It's fantastic. They have this gorgeous patio furntiture which costs a fortune...$350 a chair. But it's beautiful to look at. They has some beaded creatures. I had to buy one for my workroom. I bought a red iguana and a small jade plant. I think everyone has had a jade plant in their life. I had one in college. Lou and I went back on Saturday and bought some shrubs. They were 50% off. We got a few forsythia and some low growing shrubs for the front of the house.

Last Monday we put on a new roof. That was step two of our ~100 step process of improving our home. Step one was last year when we had it sided. The next step is putting cultured stone on the chimney and other concrete block parts of our house. The chimney is huge and takes up 1/3 of the front of our house. I just have to find a contractor to do this. After that....a new furnace, knocking out an interior wall, paint, new carpeting, a new patio......this should take a few years or more at the rate we move.