Warmer Weather = Opening of FL room

This past weekend it was in the mid 60's here in Northern Delaware.

The cats were frisky, and the warm breeze beckoned us to open up the doors, windows and get to unpacking and reorganizing our Florida Room.

Chloe loves being out in the FL room... and so do we!

The four big picture windows and two sliding doors really open it up as if you were outdoors, but with the comforts of being indoors.

Above & to the right is a hall seat from my Grandma Neal. It has been in our family for at least 5 generations. It was passed from my Great-Great Grandfather Fry to Great Grandmother Deaven to Grandma Neal to my dad to me. Also I inherited a bunch of old chairs this one is part of a set of 2.

My not so old hammock swing chair and Chloe's W.T.P. push toy (thank you Renu & Serita), chair 2 of 2, an old two-drawer stand, and coffee table with sides that pull up and lock (perfect game and puzzle table). This couch is from Dave's grandmom's house. I think I may be the only person in our family to really see the beauty in this couch. And in true Italian fashion, I believe it had the plastic on it until recent years... So I am happy to say, Thank You to Mrs. Zambino for keeping it under plastic - it is in perfect condition, and is the most comfortable lounge couch ever!

Grandmom Zambino's Italian Lounge Couch and an Antique Blue Chair from my Great Grandma Deaven's house. This chair has a twin and a couch that I am told are lavender in color. I'm not quite sure who got those in the family, but they are around (I hope). I remember this chair from when I was very small. I used to run my fingers all over the designs cut into the material. It is the kind of chair that when you sit into it, you sink back into it - the seat is very long and it's quite bouncy (perfect for little kids to sit in with feet sticking out, and bounce, bounce, bounce). And in the back of the I.L.C. is a very old and very cool Tiffany style lamp which was to my surprise - very, very heavy.

I have decided (and Dave has accepted - at least for now) that the FL room is the place for us to put a lot of these old pieces of furniture. Our garage is full up to the brim of items from 4 other houses - all here because of a loss of sorts. My mom and Dave's grandmom have passed on and two of my grandmom's have downsized and moved to a warmer location geographically. And all within the last year and a half.

It's a weird feeling of loss to have so many of our maternal figures not with us anymore on a regular basis. So I am feeling the need to surround us with things of theirs for now. I know that Dave hopes to get rid of a lot of things - and we will... I only want to keep the things we can put out around the house (& seasonal stuff to put out). And the rest should go to people that would enjoy them as well.

So - maybe I'll open an Etsy shop for the cool "vintage" things I come across that family members don't want. There is some cool crap in those boxes...

I can't believe what grandma's keep locked up in storage...

Small Things Around The House

Some days I think I may be a little insane.

It is usually when I am loading a glaze kiln and am not in the mood to do it...

The picture above is looking down three rods full of the small earring size pendants that I loaded yesterday. Every piece has to be suspended on these little hooks so that the entire piece  can be glazed without any sharp spots.

As I finished loading the kiln, I quick did a look over to make sure that nothing was touching, and one of these pieces dropped down to the bottom.

This meant that I had to get a small wire and try to fish that one small piece out without knocking any more off. I kept thinking - this is like playing that game "Operation" where you used small tweezers to get out the game pieces without touching the sides to avoid that annoying buzzing sound...

I did manage to get that single piece without much issue. But I can't help but to think there is a much better way to load and fire kilns - especially the smaller pieces. So my brain is in that mode to come up with something that I can load small pieces fast and easy (not quite so easy when you consider all the parameters: the rods/wire sag at a certain temp. Weight and space is also a factor). 

And of course, after a trying few hours of loading kilns - I've got my little helper around to get the house stuff done (although, she usually makes more of a mess than she cleans...).

It's these small things around the house that keep me going day to day...

Buridan's Ass: decisions actually...

Ok, thinking a bit more about Burdain's Ass brings me to the conclusion that I won't "starve" because my life will be fulfilled with being a mom, being a wife, being an artist (of sorts), being a friend, and all the other things that I want in my life...

I have decided and without really realizing it... Now I just have to be conscious about the decisions I make and how they affect my being a wife and mom. I have taken certain steps in my life to get to this point and I am very satisfied with them. I don't live through regrets or second guesses. 

I welcome the realizations that come with making mistakes (may not like the consequences though).

So my choice is to put efforts forth to make sure that I don't overwhelm myself and by putting my small family unit before all else as often as possible. And with that, it is time for me to get into the studio and start to work on pendants & orders so I can have time later to dedicate myself to Chloe & visiting with family and not worrying about all the "business" stuff I need to do.

Thanks for reading my venting... Motivation is here, and along with some coffee and sunshine outside - is here to stay for the next few hours...

Buridan's Ass

Today my sister April and I were sitting and talking while Chloe was napping and we happened across a book on Philosophical Ideas that you should be familiar with. And Buridan's Ass was one of the ideas that struck a note within me . It describes exactly where I am right now (except that I'm not going to starve...). I have a lot of stuff to do, but can't decide where to start, so nothing is getting done.

Then I think. I am at a crossroads in my life. Being a mom has taken priority for me over making my porcelain pendants. Tucson made me realize this. I love being with my beady friends, but missing out on time with Dave and Chloe made me come to the conclusion that I only have so much time to be a mom. And right now - that is where my heart is.

Don't get me wrong... I still want to make stuff - but I want to take my work past just the technical side of working with clay. I want to combine my passion for working with plants, observing wildlife, and watching Chloe grow and discover into my work. Now I have to discover how to make that happen...

Tucson Show Preparations

Hello out there in Blog Land...

Just a quick note to say how excited and frustrated I am right now.

One can easily experience these emotions simultaneously when getting ready for such a huge event as the Gem and Jewelry Shows out in Tucson, AZ.

This year I will be at 2 shows: 

The Manning House Bead show

Feb. 3-8, 2008 (10-6 every day)

and 

The Best Bead Show

Feb. 4-8, 2008 (Wed late night)

I'm in the midst of excitement for my new pieces - the decal pieces.

There is SO much potential there...

If only I could manage my time better to get stuff done.

And if only the pieces were coming out as I think they will look.

I've had some setbacks mainly in technique,

but think I've got them worked out (knock on wood).

I guess this happens when coming up with new stuff.

Get out of the comfort zone of what you know and get to experimenting...

So off to have me some brownies (thanks Joan Tucker for that inspiration)!

And then to work, work, and more work...

Thank goodness I like my job...

Infant Apparel on it's way

I'm so excited about the way these shirts and onesies are turning out.

I'm trying to limit myself a bit, and have selected one flower and one tree design for printing.

My friend Kim of Aspenwear is printing these for me, and she just dropped these samples off to me and picked up more to print.

I think I will be taking pictures this weekend of Chloe in them for samples.

Nothing like having your own little model around for stuff like this...

Although I hope she is done teething for the weekend (I found at least 3 new teeth just this morning! Wow - talk about all at once!!!)

I'll post a link or send out a newsletter about these as soon as they become available.