Dewdrop Falling

This blog is closed!

2007-06-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Blog is now here.

I have decided to downsize a bit on the blog thing. I was publishing to three places and now I am taking it down to two - the OT blog and the MySpace blog. It will just make blogging a little less time consuming. I do the MySpace blog to keep up with my family. So, I hope everyone will follow me over to the new location above. And I hope my friends will keep commenting. I turned the comments on on the OT blog. I don't know why I never did that before. If I have your blog listed on the side bar, please let me know if it is alright to list it on the OT blog side bar. It is a little more public being that it is connected to my website so I don't want to put a link over there if anyone is uncomfortable with it. Okay, enough rambling out of me!

Kerbey Lane and Yard Work

2007-06-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

My jewelry is on display at Kerbey Lane Cafe (the location on Kerbey Lane) in Austin for the entire month of June. For anyone who isn't from Austin, Kerbey Lane Cafe is an Austin mainstay. It's been here forever, it stays open 24 hours and has the best queso you've ever eaten! They saw my work at Blue Genie last December and invited me to exhibit and sell my work there. Yay!

My friend Sarah Eastep has just launched her latest line of jewelry on her updated website. Be sure to check it out! Maneki Collection. It's gorgeous! Sarah has a great eye for lovely little pieces.

We spent all day Sunday working in our backyard. We got one of those big tent things from Target that has the mosquito netting and built it in the middle. We moved our vinyl aqua couch and our hand-me-down lawn furniture into it. We also hung a light in it that I bought from a thrift store a while back. It is so nice!! We got one of those mister setups and tried it out but it was just too misty. It made everything wet so we took it out. We might try putting it on the back porch later on. We also planted more flowers, cleared more beds, mulched, transplanted some flowers and turned our compost pile. It was a tough day of work! You can see more of the results on my flickr page.

Exhibit and Forest's first college course

2007-05-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

I thought this necklace up last week, made it yesterday, popped it up on the website last night and awoke to find it sold this morning. I wasn't ready for it to go. I will miss you little owl necklace! I didn't even get a chance to bond before I dropped it off at the post office this afternoon. I am sure it will be happy in its new home though. I have more owls, I will just have to make more.

Last Friday I got together with my mother-in-law, Linda. We visited the latest exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center here in Austin. The current exhibit is all about the 1920's - one of my most favorite decades. It was great, highlighting all the amazing art, literature and societal changes that happened during that decade. There was a letter from Ernest Hemingway's mother, to him, chastising his behavior. There were tons of great photographs and original manuscripts with the writer's notes in the margins. One super neat picture featured of all these ladies in their fancy full coverage bathing suit ensembles. Why can't we still have bathing suits like that? I came away with a long list of books I need to read including Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. I really enjoyed all of the first edition books they had on display. The cover art was beautiful and inspiring. Then, at some point in the exhibit I was reminded of prohibition - it's amazing what you can accomplish without alcohol in your life! Just kidding, I know they were all drinking bathtub gin at the speakeasy. Afterward Linda took me to lunch at Bess. I had yummy crab cakes and we shared a strawberry shortcake for dessert. The food was good and the restaurant is lovely and cozy.

Today I met with a bookkeeper. Oh, I am so happy at the thought of having someone to help me with accounting. I don't mind doing it so much but sometimes I run into problems I just don't know how to solve!

My son started his first college course this evening. He is still in high school but is able to take courses at the local community college for dual credit. It was really a proud and exciting moment for me as a parent. He is taking US History I.

Oh, and one more thing, last Saturday I tagged along with my husband on an errand and we stopped into one of my favorite antique malls where I found these lovely gold charms. Can't wait to cook something up with them!

2007-05-29T14:27:00.001-07:00

Man, Mondays are tough. It's even worse when they fall on Tuesday. We had too much fun this weekend and I am totally worn out! Friday night James and I made enchiladas and margaritas and hung out in our backyard. Heaven! Saturday night we went out to celebrate Victoria's birthday with dinner at Chez Nous and drinks at Long Branch. While we were at Long Branch, I practiced some time delay photography. The above photo was my favorite of the evening. The rest are on my flickr page. Sunday we hung out with our friends, Kristin and Scott. Kristin made awesome pizza and Scott made great margaritas. After dinner we played games on their WII (is that how it's written?). I want one of those gaming systems! Monday we had our rotating game night with friends. Clint and Dixie hosted this time and bbq'd for us! We played Scattergories. It was a fun fun weekend.

This morning I got up super early and Forest and I went down to the community college to start getting him enrolled to take classes for the summer. He can do dual credit courses where he gets credit for high school and college. So cool! On the way home we stopped in for a few items at Target and he filled out an application for a summer job. He is growing up!

Today I am working in the studio, making new necklaces. I am hoping for some good dry weather this week so I can do another resin batch. The last project was so fun. They sold so quickly I didn't even get them on the website. Maybe this time I will make more! Resin projects are so fun. But, resin really stinks so I won't be making this a long time line.

I actually did get around to soldering in my studio last week. I wasted so much fuel before realizing that I needed softer solder. I am at least glad that I can have the patience with myself to realize that it will just take time to figure out how to make my ideas a reality. It is such a learning experience. Yeah, another one of those. Damn!

Since the Sopranos is coming to a close, we have been rewatching the series from the beginning which has been pretty cool. I can't believe how many story lines come full circle in that series. What an amazing show!

long time, no blog

2007-05-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

Look, I got some new glasses!

Good grief, I haven't blogged in a week. I have been busy working and having some fun. Trying to balance the work and the fun. I am starting to think I may be a workaholic! I am kind of serious. Well, the work is actually fun for me right now. I just feel super passionate about my work lately!

Last Wednesday night I met up with Sarah for drinks and then we took a little excursion to the local craft store which was super fun. This weekend I didn't really have any big plans. I just enjoyed hanging out with James all weekend. And, in between, got lots of little jobs done like making rings and organizing my jewelers bench. I pulled out all the equipment I have been collecting over the past few years. I feel like I am pretty much totally set up to solder now. Just need to take the big step to start. Why is that part so hard? Maybe it will happen today? I worked hard yesterday to get a bunch of piddley stuff caught up so that today and tomorrow can be reserved for creative work. You gotta organize this stuff!

Had a nice lunch with Wendy on Friday. It was a nice day to sit outside.

I took my first actual trip to the Blanton Museum yesterday. I met up with my friend Brooke for coffee first and then we walked over to the museum together. We had a great time. I found it inspiring. I loved the new temporary exhibit of the works from the Dahesh Museum. There were some really beautiful and vibrant oil paintings. There is something about oil painting that really excites me. It has such depth. I also really liked that a lot of the paintings were of daily scenes. One of the explanations on the wall was saying that more common life scenes developed when the patronage shifted from religious to merchant class and middle classes commissioned works. I enjoy seeing these almost photographic images of normal life from another time period. We went upstairs and explored a little of the 20th century area but we ran out of time. I look forward to my next trip!

Forest has been introducing me to a lot of rap music. When we get in the car, he always plugs in his Ipod and says "Mom, you gotta hear this song." He is really good at seeking out music. Anyway, about the rap thing - I have never really listened to much because - and I don't mean to stereotype - but often the stuff you pass by on the radio, though it may have a cool beat, the lyrics are sometimes just so sexist and offensive. But he has played some really great stuff for me lately. Let's see, I am enjoying Immortal Technique, Dead Prez and Mos Def. I love learning about new music but I have never been the kind of person to actually seek it out. I always need to have friends who do and can tell me about it! It's a good thing I have James and Forest around. James is mighty prolific in his mix making, I can't even give a comprehensive list of the mixes he's made lately. It's too crazy. This weekend when we were hanging out he gave me a history lesson about the hambone beat - and played a Bo Diddley song, where it started, first and then played all these songs that have that beat right up to present day music. Did you know that song "I Want Candy" has the hambone beat? It was pretty cool to hear the progression of something like that.

Alrighty, I better get back to work!

Blanton Show, Studio Work and Tomatoes

2007-05-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

My show at the Blanton last weekend went nicely. My newest designs were well received. The show was held in the main room near the entrance of the museum. It is a very pleasant room to be in for 8 hours. There are windows on the high ceiling and long white walls so the room is very bright and open. It has a very neat effect. When a cloud passes over the sun, it changes the entire room.

This week I have been working on applications for some shows in the Fall, ordering new supplies and sorting through old supplies. I am patiently awaiting delivery of the last of what I need to start soldering. I hope to get my jeweler's bench organized and ready to use today. I want to get out all the pieces that need soldering so I will be prepared to start. Fingers crossed that everything works alright.

We ate the first tomatoes off our vine this weekend! They were really sweet and good. Hooray! There are tons of green tomatoes too. It gives me hope that I can maybe grow other vegetables in the future.

Met up with Victoria yesterday, we ran errands together in her new car and had mojitos at Opal Divine's before heading home. Her new car is so cute. She's been without a car for so long. I am so happy for her!

New Jewelry, Pain and Hot Weather Pledge

2007-05-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

This week has been full on creative (with a little pain - see below). I have made SO much new jewelry. Fun fun! Today I am sitting my butt in my chair and putting new stuff on the website. I swear!!

I have been having some trouble with my neck and shoulders again. I have been taking this body pump class with my friend Hope at my gym and I think I just pulled a muscle or something. I am sure my profession doesn't help matters. Anyway, it's been giving me a lot of pain this week. I've had to visit the massage lady, take loads of magnesium, do hot and cold compresses, pop muscle relaxers, moan and complain. It's been tough! Oh yeah, I have also had to relax and not do anything at certain times, which KILLS me. I cannot stand to be idle. I am feeling super behind on some of my duties this week! Also, due to my stupid neck and shoulder pain, I was really sad to have to miss Hope's art show at the Hideout last night. I find her work delightful and I was dying to see "Biggie goes to Dairy Queen" in person!

Had coffee with Kristin on Wednesday and lunch with Liz on Thursday. Both times it was so nice to sit outside enjoying the last of the good weather. Soon it's going to be evil hot. I am going to try to continue my zen attitude this year about the heat. I am just going to be okay with it. I am going to dress light. I am not doing any outdoor shows this summer. It's going to be okay! Also, I pledge to go swimming more often this summer. I did not do enough of that last year.

Speaking of organizing (were we?), I just found a great use for these two vintage drawer liners that my mom gave me last year! They are perfect for holding all my little jump rings, head pins and other findings. I love pretty storage solutions.

Cinco de Mayo Fun

2007-05-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

It was a fun weekend! On Friday night we went out to dinner and celebrated Melissa's birthday which actually falls on Cinco de Mayo. She had a full weekend of celebration planned. We had dinner at Habana and got to sit in one of the little thatched huts out front. The food was yummy and they make awesome mojitos! The best part of the evening was when Nel sang a birthday song for her in Spanish. So sweet!

On Saturday night I went to a Cinco de Mayo party at my friend Jennifer Perkin's house. I had a good time. They had the toughest pinata I have ever seen. That thing would not break! Eventually people were just madly whacking at it without the blindfold. It was so funny.

I spent the rest of the weekend sorting through my back stock of old beads, charms and supplies. I have so much stuff! I came to terms with the side of myself that likes to sort. My mom once told me that when she was little they used to enjoy sorting her mother's buttons. (My grandmother was a seamstress and made all her seven kid's clothing, right down to their underwear!) Anyway, I don't know what it is but sorting things is so relaxing and fun. I was going through all my stuff and I just suddenly had this realization of "wow, I am having a blast!" ha!

This week I have got to get my ass in gear and produce jewelry. I have a show at the Blanton this weekend and I have been selling so much jewelry at P&L that my stock is pretty low. Good problem to have, right?

Yard & Website

2007-05-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

This rain is making everything in my yard so green. I am pretty sure that I planted cherry tomatoes because of the way they are growing on the vine. Hope the squirrels don't get them. I am a little worried about this webby stuff that appeared on the grass this morning. I might have to treat it - hopefully there is a natural product for it. From my little search on the internet, it might be some sort of fungus. Oh no! One of the website I looked at recommended not watering at night. That's not good. It's not ecologically sound to water during the day, not to mention that the city doesn't want you to. I will just have to study the issue more.

Man, I have had my head buried in my website all week spending every spare minute on it! I finished the shopping cart conversion last night. It's so exciting! There is a search feature, there next and previous buttons so you can just flip through all my products. I will be able to add things quickly. I am kind of excited to add the next round of new products. I am sure that will wear off soon enough! It is so empowering to figure out all the technical stuff. I actually found the add on modules, installed them and figured out how they worked all by myself. James came in a few times and helped me figure out some html issues. I am so lucky to have such a smart husband. He really gets how computers work!

I got a big order of supplies in yesterday including my new torch. I am excited to actually be able to solder in my studio soon!

King William Fair

2007-04-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

My show yesterday was so much fun. My friend, Anne Marie, told me about it. It's been going on for many years and coincides with Fiesta, a week long celebration in San Antonio. There was a fun parade in the morning. People were wearing colorful head dresses and exchanging funny medals. They were cracking confetti eggs on each other's head so everyone had confetti in their hair. The fair is held in this neighborhood of big old beautiful mansions on tree-lined streets. My friend Liz and I requested booths next to each other and it was so much fun to hang out with her all day! I posted a bunch of pictures on my flickr page.

Today I am feeling super inspired to make new jewelry. I cleaned my studio this morning. It seriously needed it.

Friday night was nice. Hung out with James and he played me two of his latest mixes, old country music and do-wop. We practiced dancing to the country music. I taught him the two step. It was really fun.

Websites and Mix Tapes

2007-04-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

When I start doing a project I can really get obsessed with it. This week I finally had a chance to get James to sit down with me and figure out how to get into my shopping cart software. Working with Etsy has made me realize how much easier it would be to add products to my website if I used the shopping cart storefront. I just couldn't figure out how to get it started. Once he got me in, I started messing around with the configuration, figuring out how it works. The one I have is an older version that came free with my web host but I think I will be able to make it work out pretty well. There are issues with the spacing but it will have to do for now. I have developed the look of it and now I am in the process of adding images and descriptions to all my products. I hope to take it live really soon. I think it will make me a little more efficient in my business.

James also has a special talent for making music mixes. He once made me the best Dylan mix tape ever. You might not think Bob Dylan could be romantic but you'd be wrong. ;) Anyway, ever since he got his new Ipod he has been back to making mixes. They are so awesome! This week he made one with all songs from 1972 (the year I was born). It makes me so happy. It has some great songs like Saturday in the Park and Ventura Highway. He also made a mix of 80's New Wave which has me saying "OMG" every time a new song comes on in the car. His mixes are really fun.

I have also been busy working on my latest website project. Along with it I am also helping the lady out with some marketing stuff like designing a postcard for her and getting her set up for mass email campaigns. It is kind of fun to use the knowledge I have developed in my own business experience to help someone else. Plus, it challenges me to learn more when someone tasks me with coming up with a new design. I find her enthusiasm for her business inspiring.

This weekend I am looking forward to my show in San Antonio, King William.

A very fun Saturday night.

2007-04-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, Saturday night was so much fun. We had drinks at the San Jose where two of my friends were staying and dinner at Uchi where we had a celebrity sighting! We were sitting outside having drinks and out walks Jake Gyllenhaal. It was so exciting. He is just as beautiful in person as on the screen. And Jake, if you're out there, I am so sorry I yelled your name out. I am rather embarrassed at my crazed fan behavior.

In the picture above, we all have that "I just saw Jake Gyllenhaal" glow. From left to right, Steve, Steve, Barry, Me & Katy. I have known Katy since Kindergarten, ran around with Barry in high school. In college I introduced them and they got married. The Steves (how adorable, a couple in which both partners share the same name) moved to Brownwood about 10 years ago and opened a deli downtown (Steves Market & Deli - seriously good sandwiches if you are ever passing through). This was the first time I had ever really gotten to know them and how fun they are. We had such a good time. As Katy said, I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard. A night like that is good for the soul. And congratulations to my friend Barry. An MBA is quite an accomplishment!

Crafting was fun on Sunday. Instead of working on a craft, I just worked on making earrings while chatting with my friends. Soon there will be some new earrings up on the site. I always get excited when I make a bunch of new earrings. They are like tiny little mobiles. You have to make sure they are not too heavy and they have to be interesting. I just don't like to make boring earrings. I used a bunch of the vintage beads I found in the Paris flea market.

Oh yeah, and I scored pretty big at Citywide this weekend. Lots of neat old jewelry and coins. I enjoy talking to the old man who sells the coins. He is full of interesting facts about coins. I love hearing people talk about their hobbies. I also scored a beautiful vintage black eyelet dress for myself! Hooray!

New Display at Parts & Labour

2007-04-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

I got my new display up at Parts and Labour. Check it out. It's the old kitchen cabinet door my brother dug up for me:

I found the little hands at the Warrenton flea market.

I decided to give Etsy another try. I tried it about a year ago with no luck but recently I have been hearing rave reviews from several friends and yesterday a customer wrote me to ask if I sold there. So, I guess I need to try it one more time! We'll see. It shouldn't be too hard to just add new stuff there when I put it on my website.

Yesterday I got busy making new earrings. Came up with a bunch of prototypes which will probably sit on my bulletin board for a few days until I decide what makes the cut.

We went to see Grindhouse on Wednesday night. I actually liked it! The first movie was definitely gory and I had to close my eyes a few times. Loved the Tarantino movie. His movies have great female characters. I have always been a fan. Plus, I really like his connection with Austin.

Looking forward to Citywide Garage Sale this weekend! Also, my friends from high school, Katy and Barry will be in town. We will be celebrating Barry's graduation from the UT MBA program. And, a little crafting get together with a few close friends. It's going to be a fun weekend.

Family Time

2007-04-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Have been enjoying hanging out with my sister. She is coming back from a short trip to Houston today and will have to leave for home tomorrow. It's been nice to hang out with her. I just love my sister. She is one of my favorite people on earth. Such a righteous chick.

We went home for a couple of days last week so Crystal could see my parents. I went to my parent's back pasture in search of some new display piece for my shelf at Parts and Labour. My brother, Jeff, climbed through a pile of old wood and found an old cabinet door for me. Perfect! I will post a picture when it is up.

My niece is so cute! I "helped" out a lot by holding the baby as much as possible. She is just the sweetest little baby ever! Yes, I am gushing. She gets these very adorable, thoughtful looks on her face. And, I love the way she moves her arms and legs around. Sigh.

Spent a bunch of time in the studio on Sunday coming up with new silver charm necklaces. Will put them up on the site soon.

Had to go to the eye doctor yesterday. I got the idea to take a bunch of pictures of myself in the glasses I liked so that I could look at them at home and decide. It is always so hard to pick out glasses because you can't see how you really look in them - well, if you are as blind as I am, you can't. So anyway, I am excited because I picked out a really cute pair. I am cannot wait to have new glasses. I am so tired of the ones I have been wearing and repairing for the last three years!

Old Symbols

2007-04-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

These two necklaces are made from old symbols. The Pegasus is from the Mobil Oil logo. I remember our family friends having an old Mobil sign in their backyard. As a 5 year old, I thought it was so neat.

The other is an old Girl Scout Brownie pin. I am not sure what Brownie pins look like now. They may be the same. I am sure a quick internet search would tell me. I found this one at a flea market. I have no idea what happened to mine. Finding this brought back nice memories of being in the Girl Scouts when I was a kid. I remember going to Girl Scout camp. One night we all pulled our cots outside to sleep under the stars. In the middle of the night our counselors woke us up to see that there were fairies dancing around our campfire. It was magical! I am sure it was the older campers but it is a really special memory for me.

Emergencies, Family and New Necklaces

2007-04-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few days! Yesterday I dealt with emergencies all day. My poor dog has a bladder infection and had to go to the vet. My washing machine is not working properly and after the repair guy left I forgot to make sure the hose was reconnected when I pushed it back up against the wall and ended up with about 2 inches of water all over the floor when it started draining. Thank goodness for wet vacs! Beyond all that I managed to actually get housework and laundry done yesterday. I laughed when I looked at bedraggled myself in the mirror around 6 PM.

In the studio I have been working on pairing up the vintage charms in my inventory for the charm necklaces like the one above. I really enjoy the process of findng charms that form a theme and work well together. I have been making the necklaces a little longer because I think it is kind of fun to be able to see the charms you are wearing. Hoping to get some new necklaces on the Parts and Labour shelf and my website very soon. I also have a bunch of rings lined up to make just as soon as the weather gives me a nice day. Could be today! The glue I use to make the rings seems to set better when the weather is nice.

The weekend was nice. Kristin and Scott came over Saturday night and brought yummy food from Marakesh. We had fun. I enjoyed hearing about Kristin's past travels to Hong Kong and Japan. On Sunday we had James' mom over for brunch and board games. I made a breakfast caserole that had brie and vegetarian sausage in it. It turned out really good! We played a game called Shadows Over Camelot in which there can be a traitor. The traitor is a secret and is based on a card you draw at the beginning of the game. Linda got it on the first round and I got it on the second. When I drew the traitor card, I was kind of sad! I didn't want to be the traitor! ha ha.

I did my own Bust ad this time. With my regular ad, I also get a little ad on the website so I had to figure out how to make an animated gif. That was pretty cool!

My sister gets here today for a week long stay. We are going to go home and visit with my parents. My brothers are also coming in. And, I will finally get to meet my niece, Madaleine! I am excited!

Flea Market, Day Two

2007-04-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Had so much fun at the flea market with my girlfriends, Dixie, Sarah, Melissa and Kristin! Found some really great jewelry. I was so excited that I came home and sorted it out immediately. I found some great pieces I can work with. It's fun to go with other people to a flea market because you end up seeing things might not have. Dixie kept pointing out all the different coffee grinders and I swear, I had never seen them there before.

After a bit of a hiatus from advertising, I decided to advertise in Bust again and the universe sent me sign by way of a customer testimonial from a woman who found me in that magazine. (Thanks Karen!) I love when you get signs like that. Also, it seems like people are really getting excited about the recycling aspect of my jewelry. That makes me happy!

Oh man, this week has been so busy with the flea market and trying to keep up with all of my other duties. I still feel like I have so much to do to get caught up! Today I will be restocking my Parts and Labour shelf. Then I have to sit down and really get busy on my next website project. Also, I met with my model, Angie, on Thursday and took some pictures of my jewelry on her so I need to get those on the site. Plus a bunch of other piddley stuff that is still unmarked on my lists. Whew! I am tired already.

Got my response on Renegade this morning. I didn't get in. I am kind of bummed about it because I would have really loved doing it. And, I was excited to have another opportunity to go to NYC. Oh well, I guess I could just go anyway! Who needs an excuse?

Warrenton, Day One

2007-04-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Had so much fun at the Warrenton flea market yesterday with my mom and her friend, Beverly. I took a lot of pictures. Posted them on my flickr account this morning. I love taking pictures of old design elements that inspire me. Ran into my friends Jennifer and Hope Perkins with their mom, Freda and Karly Hand out there as well. They are really troopers, going all three days!

I found lots of jewelry out there. Bought a lot of cool old earrings for turning into rings. For myself I bought a cast iron griddle. I have been wanting to convert over to cast iron cookware because the whole teflon thing is just getting on my nerves! They start flaking and have to be replaced every six months. Cast iron pans can last forever if properly seasoned and cared for. I am excited! I also bought a set of hands for displaying my rings on my shelf at Parts and Labour. They're pretty neat.

I am excited to go back on Friday with my friends! The place is just so big. It would take days to see it all.

weekend: show, cold, game night.

2007-04-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

The first day of the garden fest was truly awful. My sales were virtually nothing. I was feeling pretty crappy all day too, having taken nighttime cold medicine the night before which made me feel disconnected and groggy all day. I was entertaining thoughts of packing up my tent and not coming back. However, the second day was great! I was feeling better and I sold a lot of jewelry! Yay! I love when things turn around like that. The weather was really beautiful both days which made it totally nice for sitting outside. My spot was under a big beautiful shade tree.

One of my customers made me so happy! She got really excited about the recycling aspect of my jewelry. She told me about all these changes she's made in her life recently for the environment, like using natural products and buying things that come in recycled packaging. That just made me feel really good.

I also got inspired by my friend Angie who acts as my model for my website. She came by my booth and we were planning another photo session and she was planning it around exercise! I just really admire that she was already planning it into her schedule instead of just going when she had time like I do. It encouraged me to plan out my exercise this week. Yay for friends who inspire us!

Saturday night was game night at my friend Sarah's house. Despite feeling pretty under the weather from cold medicine, I had a really fun time! I think being around good friends can make you feel better. Maybe that's why I felt better on Sunday! We played Apples to Apples which was really fun and Pass the Bomb which was super funny. You have to think of words that incorporate the three letters on the card and sometimes you just get the funniest non-words in your head while you are trying to think of something. Mersplefer.

Anyway, so that was pretty much my weekend, doing the show and game night. This week: busting everything out so I can spend two whole days at Warrenton!

Goals and Garden Shows

2007-03-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Today I crossed a big goal off my list. I transferred my mailing list over to one of those mass mailing services. It is so cool! It gives you stats on how many have been opened, clicked through, bounced and who has unsubscribed. I love it. It took me quite a while to import and add all my newest addees and to learn how to do the html stuff. Before this I was having to send them out 10 at a time and it was taking me forever. I am so glad to have this done. Feels good.

I am doing the Zilker Garden Festival this weekend. I had to set up my tent this afternoon. Here's hoping it doesn't blow away! The forecast says that the winds could get up to 25 mph tonight. I anchored it with my homemade weights and tables. It is supposed to be rainy in the morning but should clear up by the afternoon and Sunday is supposed to be sunny and gorgeous. I am excited about the festival. From the looks of it this afternoon there are going to be tons of great plants for sale there. Maybe I can do some shopping too!

Had lunch with Celia today who may be interning for me next year. I really hope it works out. She has a great energy and I could use the help.

I feel like I have a cold or something. A few days ago, I did a major dusting in our house, including the lanterns in the living room. I thought maybe I was having an allergic reaction to the dust but today I feel that stuffy, confused feeling in my head. No, no, no!

Home from San Francisco

2007-03-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

San Francisco was such a great trip! The show was on Saturday. I spent most of the day doing that. Sold some pieces and met lots of new people. Made friends with all the designers at neighboring tables. It was a lot of fun. I was so tired after the show. I wanted to go out for dinner and maybe see a play but I was afraid I would fall asleep! I looked up a neat restaurant but unfortunately they were all booked when I got there so I just walked around and took pictures.

On Sunday, one of my neighbors at the show, Jennifer, had invited me to join her and some friends to go see the Vivienne Westwood exhibit at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. That was so much fun. I didn't know much about Vivienne Westwood before but, wow, what an amazing woman. The show was super inspiring with tons of great clothing, footwear and videos of her fashion shows. It was neat to hang out with Jennifer and her friends, Sandra and Amelia. Jennifer has a store in the Mission area called Porcelynne. She has her living quarters and studio in the back which was really cool. She makes lingerie! It was fun getting to ride around in the back of Sandra's car, seeing the city.

After the show we had lunch at a neat little cafe and then I had to catch my plane home. It was such a nice trip, made even better by the making of new friends.

Met Amy B. and Victoria for coffee again yesterday. We are definitely applying for Renegade! Fingers crossed.

My poor pup is not feeling well. He started limping last week so I took him to the vet before my trip. The vet gave him some medicine for arthritis which didn't sit well on his stomach. This morning I woke up to some rather disturbing business on the floor so having cleaned that all up and completely disinfected the area, we are going back to the vet! Poor thing!

Lovely day in San Francisco

2007-03-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today was lovely! I boarded my plane at 8:00 and got here around noon. Despite mean bus drivers and a bird that pooped on me, I managed to have a great day walking around Pacific Heights area, taking pictures. I walked up and down Filmore Street, going in and out of amazing stores. I had coffee at an outside cafe, walked through a beautiful park from which I could see the bay. There were all kinds of people out enjoying the beautiful day, playing with their dogs, lying on a blanket, reading a book. I wandered over to Japantown and went into the Japan Center which is this really cool indoor mall of Japanese restaurants and stores. Most of the restaurants had plastic representations of their food in the front window. I had a great dinner - Uno Don, eel on rice! Then I walked back to the hotel in the dark. Just a really super nice day.

In praise of pants.

2007-03-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

This morning I had that really great feeling of putting on my pants and having them fit perfectly. You know how sometimes they're kind of tight and you have to sit around in them so they stretch out, well, not this morning. Pants are just the greatest thing. I have worn skirts for so long and now I am just starting to wear pants again. I think they are a good gauge for where your body is, like they let you know if you are on track or not. Another great thing about pants is pockets! It is so awesome to have a place to stick things. Hooray for pants!

I am pretty excited about my trip to San Francisco. I leave tomorrow morning. I will have a full day to hang out and have fun on Friday. On Saturday, I will have the show from morning until about 6 pm and then I will have the evening plus the first half of Sunday to enjoy the city. I think it will be nice. I have got my jewelry all picked out. I am not taking everything. Instead, I am trying to present a more streamlined, themed display. I am not taking the beaded stuff because it's really just not selling right now. I am going to try to figure out what I need for my display today by laying it all out. It needs to be super compact and fit in the big suitcase with my clothes. I am going to pack up the jewelry in plastic baggies and carry it on.

It would be super nice if James or a friend were accompanying me but I will be doing this trip solo. I think that can be nice too. I think it is kind of fun to be in an unfamiliar city on your own. I remember Melissa once telling me that artists needed solo vacations, so this should be nice. It's good to be alone with your thoughts sometimes and do things on your own terms. Well, anyway, whatever the travelling situation happens to be, I think it's good to make the best of it!

Had coffee with Melissa yesterday and got to meet her new pet toad, Lolly. She is just the cutest thing. Melissa and Nel have made her a little terrarium. It is so cool! It has a little coconut house and plants and logs and a dirt floor and also, a little pool of water. So cool! She was just hanging out in her little house, looking out at me. See pictures here.

No book for me.

2007-03-20T08:17:00.001-07:00

Well, my book proposal was not accepted. In the email the editor I worked with said that the group was looking for more precious stuff, like doing projects with heirloom quality jewelry, which my jewelry definitely isn’t. She said they really liked the organization of my table of contents and that they thought my pieces were fun but that ultimately it just didn’t fit in with their list right now. She expressed that she was excited about the ideas I had come up with and that she was disappointed that it didn’t get accepted.

I feel okay about it. I think it was a really good experience. It made me really think about how I spend my time. It helped me pinpoint some bad habits like spending too much time on the internet! ha! It got me focused. I think I learned something from the experience. It is also cool just to see the process of writing a book proposal.

My friend Julie who has written a craft book mentioned getting an agent. That would be an option, to shop it around, but if I follow my heart, I just really want to make jewelry and have as few impediments to that as possible.

Yeah, I am so glad I tried!

6th Anniversary!

2007-03-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday James and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. Time goes by fast! We went out for dinner at Carmelo's downtown. The food was yum! Afterward we walked around and checked out the SXSW crowd. We wandered through the lobby of the new Hilton, found a baby grand piano on the second floor and James played some songs. It was a nice evening. On Saturday we went down to S. Congress to see all the happenings. Had pizza at Homeslice and went to see a movie, 300, which was pretty good. Then came home and watched Peter Pan. That was a good palate cleanser after all the blood and gore of 300. ha ha. It was nice. I took an entire day off and really enjoyed it. No better way to celebrate an anniversary. The picture above is from our wedding day, in Greece. What a lovely day that was!

My book is getting presented on Monday so I will know in the next day or so if they decide to make an offer on it. I am still feeling like I can go either way on it. If it happens, it could be really exciting, a fun project, and if it doesn't, well, I can put that same energy into something else.

When I went to the dermatologist last week to get that thing removed, I also got him to give me a prescription for some stuff for my face. I am using some type of wash and retin A. At first it was seriously drying out my skin, like it really was painful but I think my face is settling down now. My skin seems like it is already getting better. Yay!