Necklaces

I'm slowly getting things put together for my show in July.  I have a whole tray of new pendants, but I pulled out some older pieces to work with first.  Don't we all have a box of jewelry pieces parts that we haven't worked with yet...for some reason??  Sometimes it takes a while before a piece speaks to you.  Here are a few I made today.

Gardening is hell on your fingernails

I've been splitting my time off between working in the studio in the morning and working outside in the afternoon.  I work in the studio in the morning when it is cool.  By the afternoon it gets direct sun and heats up.  That's when I move outside.  I've been working on the beds in the front of the house.  A little mulch and a couple more plants and it will be done.  Then on to the back yard.  I don't think I will get back there until after Cain Park...which is mid-July. 

Here are some pictures from the front.....

The iris came from my Mom's garden.

All these flowers are perennials.  We've decided to reduce the number of annuals to a mimimum.  I plant a few geraniums in the front and something in the flower planter on the front porch and that is it.  We dont want to spend alot of time planting flowers that aren't going to come back.

And my nails......dirty and ragged.  What is it about digging in the dirt that just tears them up???

Long Weekend!!!

YEAH!!!  I took Friday off to make it a 4-day weekend.  All I did yesterday was clean...but that means I don't have to do it the rest of the weekend!!!!

Today I made earrings.

I had two helpers.  When the APL listed Ben and Sophie's personality type as Companion...they weren't kidding.  They follow me from room to room.  While I was in the studio, Ben was asleep on the floor at my feet and Sophie was on the desk with me. 

 

Happy Birthday to Me :))

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, me, me, me, me, me, me.....

That's right folks.  It's all about me today.  I told Lou last Friday that the entire weekend was about me so he needed to do everything I told him....yeah.....like that worked.  But it was a good weekend.

We attended a party at the Crawford Auto Museum.  It was for the research institute where I work.  Dinner, dancing, and antique cars...which were really cool.  They had one that went around the world in 1910...48,600 miles and 100 years old and it still runs. 

Sunday we went to Mom's for dinner.  Except for my sister, the whole family was there.  It was nice to get together.... until the discussion turned to politics.  I have one brother whose political views are diametrically opposed to mine.  I think he enjoys saying things that he knows is going to get a rise out me.  It bothers me that he does this.  It's to the point where I'm uncomfortable being around him.  It seems like he has so much animosity for me....and that hurts.  But enough of that....

So I left work early today and now I have to clean the house....YES....I have to clean the house on my birthday.  Tomorrow night we are going out to Farenheit's to a wine tasting dinner.  The wines are from Australia...Penfolds Wine.  The winery was started in the mid-1800's by a physician who had emigrated to Australia.  He believed in the medical benefits of wine...YEAH....don't we all.  I know I drink it for the medical benefits....at least I will be tomorrow night. 

Lou gave me an I-pod Touch for my birthday.  It's my first piece of Apple equipment.  I bought myself a new laptop...a Dell Studio 15.  I'm still a PC girl.  My other one was 5 years old and giving me problems so it was time.  This one is soooo fast, it's amazing.  And it is wireless...now I just need to get the cable company out here to give me a wireless connection to the internet.  I have a husband who works in IT , but we are so behind the times in our own home....but we'll get there.

Later ....time to eat some birthday cake....and clean the house.

Tear-Aways

A couple weeks ago I made tear-aways but have yet to use them.  Most were tribal excpet for the Japanese Kanji characters.  Lou gave me a Valentine's card with these characters on them.  They are Partner, Lover, Friend....which really says it all about Lou and I.

GEEK ALERT.....

How cool is this!!!....a pocket wire gauge with it's own little leather pouch.  You can throw it in your purse or in a pocket.  What girl doesn't need a pocket sized wire gauge tool???  You know....if you empty my purse out....you don't necessarily get girly type things.  You are more likely to find a few pairs of pliers, a wire gauge, and on a good day...a hammer or two.

My chain from our fusing class with Anne Mitchell.  I've been texturing it.  I still have half the necklace to go.  I keep trying to get to this but when I have a chance to do it...it's late at night and Lou has already gone to bed.  Maybe he won't hear me hammering....what do ya think???

Hot from the Kiln

A quick pic before I head out to meet up with the girls at the guild meeting.  I love pieces that are all gnarly and gritty just out of the kiln.  Most of these came from molds that I've made.  I've been collecting various artifacts for a couple of years and I finally did something with them. 

Back later once I clean them up.

New Wheels

Here are the new wheels.  It was time to trade the car in and another car wasn't going cut it going back and forth to art shows.  So I got a Ford Edge.  There are so many SUVs out there, but I decided to buy Ford because they didn't screw over the American tax payers by taking a bailout from the government.  I went in on Monday after work to take a test drive and 3 hours later walked out with a new car.  I think she's pretty.

Pretty Things...

I only did a little bit of cleaning in the studio tonight.  I have to get it into some type of shape before I can sit down to work.  I don't like to work in chaos....even though I create massive chaos as I work.  Tools and supplies everywhere.  When it gets too much I have to stop and clean. 

I took a break to look at some pretty things from a website I have been lusting over....Greyfreth.  She has some very cool old bottles turned into artwork with sea life and old chandelier crystals.

There is also a really cool Hand of Buddah.  It's the Buddist sign of peace.  I want that for my studio

Check it out...at a minimum it is great eye candy.

Cinco de Mayo minus one (is that Quatro de Mayo?)

Today has been one of those days that I needed a padded office because most of the day I felt like I was banging my head against the wall. 

I've been trying to collect $200,000 in back charges from a local University...for a year.  Problem is...they spent the money that they gave us a contract for and now they have to figure out how to pay us.  Shouldn't have spent the money guys!!!

I have a new liason in one of the offices I have to work with...alot.  So like it or now I am indirectly training this person.  Today I wanted to scream.  Generically, it went a little like this

Gail: Keep you eye on the ball
Person: Oh look, a birdy!!
Gail: Keep your eye on the ball
Person: Oh look, a flower!!
Gail: Keep your eye on the ball
Person: Oh look, a birdy!!
Gail: (muffled noise in the background) Bang, Bang, Bang (that was my head beating up against the wall.)

I actually have a sign in my office with a target that says..."Bang Head Here".

So Lou and I are off to one of our favorite restaurants tonight...Farenheit.  For Cinco de Mayo minus one.  Rocco is making tacos and they are serving Coronas and Margaritas!!! 

I can feel myself decompressing already.