Happy New Year!

I try not to do the resolution thing. I don't like the idea of doing it sort of arbitrarily. A month and a half ago I made changes (resolutions) and have stuck to them so far.

I woke up today to the most beautiful blue sky, with just a bit of fog in the valley below me. Sadly, the sun didn't last long, and we spent the rest of the day in fog ourselves.

I intended to work on "something" all day. But I found that I had too many ideas floating around my head all trying to come together and solidify themselves. That is right, I had too many ideas in my head. I did spend a lot of time sketching and doodling. I hate my doodles, they are sooo bad that I rarely use them for anything. I did learn that I can stain felt with regular stamp pad ink and it creates a very interesting "watercolor" effect on the felt. Don't know what I will do with that yet. I found some paper that will certainly become a project just for me. And I did some 52project work.

I am not entirely sure where I should notate my 52 projects stuff. I thought about making a new notebook to hold all my notes and photos and all that. But then that is just one more thing that may or may not get done. Although just now while I was typing that out I though of my solution. I will buy giant tags and make at least each side of a tag the story of the project. (By the way I just the random problem solving that starts to happen when you shift the way you think and see the world). Anyway, one of the projects was to write a letter to anyone, but to try to avoid using names so that it was pretty anonymous to whoever finds the letter. Then you take the letter and stuff it in a library book, and the less likely to be checked out soon, the better. I didn't really like the idea of writing a letter, but I had a bunch of poetry that was lying around waiting for some use. I copied a poem onto an index card and put it in a book that might get checked out, but not by someone looking for poetry.

Part of the reason I choose that project was because I have a stash of all of the stuff that I have found in library books I have checked out. I will be making a collage from them when I have enough.

Happy New Year All, I have a feeling this is the year for positive changes and growth.

K

Just a very quick up date

I was supposed to post last night. But I did something fun instead. We had some dear friends over for a little post Christmas party and gift exchange. We had a wonderful time and I am sure the nieghbors heard our laughter. The photo at the top of the post is one of my gifts. I love it . I love that shade of blue. It is one of the colors that sparks me, inspires me.

Starting this next week I will be working, working, working. Although I will say, the kids are out of school until the 8th and I may be sidetracked by them.

K

Thursday Dec. 27, 2007

I made two bracelets today. I have been working on my Valentine's line. The photo is from two in the series "Heart On My Sleeve". And yes, I do tend to work in "series" I don't really know why, just seems to work out that way. I name all of the bracelets, and totes, and will name everything else I make. I think that it helps me remember what I have made, and am making. I also think that it helps create connections for the buyers as well.

I just keep plugging on. It has been easier this week because it has been Christmas break and the kids have been with friends.

K

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas to you all. We had a wonderful Christmas day. We woke at 6:30 a.m. (I think one of us was up well before that) and opened presents. I don't think any one was disappointed. I know I wasn't and I haven't heard any complaints. We had a great dinner of spaghetti ( the old world all day to make recipe) and mushroom stuffing. We were going to have stuffed pumpkins, but they took to long to bake.

We watched movies and played games. We just finished playing a new game and had a blast.

This is a photo of the little one in some of the new stuff she got for Christmas. I think she will have a blast wearing her new clothes for the next several days.

This is me trying to catch Boo in a photo. Next to imposible, as he hates to have his pic taken.


Here is Sis and Dad playing backgammon. This was her first ever game and she did great.

I hope you all had a day that was equally full of family and I wish you all much love and happiness
K

Twas the night before the night before Christmas

And my kids are bouncing off the walls. I am not sure the little one will survive even just one more night. She made a snow flake the other day, and then started wearing it as a mask. It reminded me of a mexican wrestlers mask. So now she is EL POLLO LOCO.

I made bracelets today. All of them were made with a specific person in mind. The girls and the twins. I even made one for me to wear out and about to promote the product. I have a basket full of bracelets that need to go.

I don't know when I will be posting next. I think tomorrow night might overwhelm me. And Tuesday I will probably be exhausted. But I thought that I would just give you a quick up date and then let you all enjoy the holidays.

So enjoy this last Random Santa.

Happy Holidays

K

I have no photo

I have no photo today, because I wanted to be sure I posted and I had to resort to using the kids' laptop. Which, by the way is a little bit like using someone else's kitchen to cook in.

I would like to announce that I have officially finished my Christmas shopping. And I am neatly done with the gift wrapping. Not that any of this has anything to do with any of my artistic process, or the business. But, as I have three children, who rely on my to make Christmas special, making Cristmas special is far more important than the business.

The problem is... I am getting very behind in what I think I need to do. And when I get behind I start to feel very unorganized. I think I start thinking "if only I were perfectly organized, well then I could get every thing I want done. " That isn't a very realistic line of thought. But there you have it. I can be very unrational when I am under duress.

I know I am forgetting something that I wanted to say. On my computer there is a stash of started blob entries. I will jot down the really good thoughts and save them in notebook and post them on the days when I don't have anything else to say. And I have a stack of internet sticky notes about threes feet high ( or at least several hundred pixels) on my desktop. But that is all on my computer and not on this one. Here I feel like I am staring at that blank sheet of paper in senior english being told to write my ten minute journal entry, and try to make it relevent and witty.

I don't know if you all know this, but I have a fairly severe addiction to books. I can't go into a used book store and come out with nothing. The library is like a candy store for me. I want to read them all. Well, most of them anyway. I have yet to find a non-fiction book that I didn't at least want to thumb through. When I went shopping with my friend yesterday, we went to the used bookstore near our homes. We were shopping for her and her kids. I was just there to offer support and guidence and focus. I bought five books. I wasn't going to. I need to focus on the business, building up inventory, taking photos, posting product, thinking outside thebox. I do not have time to read, aside from the chapter a day to the girls. But there were just so many nice looking books that looked like they would fit in my bookshelves.

I love the smell of an older used book. And the feel. There is something comfortable about a book that has already been read. And one that have sat around someones house for a while, that book has to be good. I am not into antique books. I don't spend time looking for first editions. I don't even care if the books I buy are in the greatest condition. What I want is a book that wants to be read. One that has character and something to say. I often buy on impulse, which is fine, because I usually buy from a thrift store that sells them for a dollar apiece. And at a dollar apiece, how the heck can I say no? Some of my strongest impressions are of rooms full of books. My dad's office when I was growing up, the book store at Pikes Place Market that my grammie used to take me too. Art and books. Those seem to be the two strongest impressions I have in my head.

And that is an awfull lot of rambling for an entry that doesn't have a picture to go with it.

K

Let's see what happens

Last night around 9p.m. I had this idea. I pictured a tote with this great handle. I love polka dots (I think I have said that before), and I am thinking of what I will make for spring. Some how the two are linked in my mind. Anyway, the above tote is the result of last nights random thought process. I think I might have been able to make two today, but I struggle with my sewing machine. Anyway I posted it on the local sight to try to sell it and we will see what happens.

I started my 52 Projects (write about your ufo sighting, and if you really want to know I will tell you). I will be working on my next one tomorrow. The book suggests writing anonomous letters and placing them in books in the library, or in a thrift store. I don't think I will be doing letters, but I have a couple of poems that I have been fiddling with that are good choices.



Speaking of writing, I would love to suggest the blog raincoatflashers. Just take a look, there is some really good stuff there (including two of my peices).

BTW: Random Santa!



K