a charming mess…

I know, I know…this just kind of looks like a big mess…

Truth is…I can find inspiration in most messes.  When I sit down to this it charges my thoughts…

…and allows me to create something very ‘charming’…

the last of the Farm Chick fun…

…for this year, anyway!

I really feel blessed to have been in this great show.  I’ve always heard about how wonderful it is.  Last year I attended as a shopper and loved the few hours that I was there but after having spent 3 full days there (including set-up) I would have to agree with everyone – it truly is a great show.  Yesterday I mentioned some of the ‘greats’, but I don’t think that I mentioned neighbors.  All of the gals around me were wonderful.  I’m sure that we could become fast friends if given more time.  And, I’m quite sure that my-girl Liz, met most of the people who were in the whole show.  I was just mentioning to her that my views were really up↑ on my blog.  She wasn’t a bit surprised and said that while she was walking around she was always giving out my card and telling people about my blog.  And to think that I thought the whole time she was gone from the booth (which was most of the time), she was just flitting about in her little social way, looking cute and having her picture taken by others, but she was actually promoting my business…  WOW!…what a girl!  😉

I took a few more pictures in my booth today – I really didn’t get out much, it seemed like each time I did, I spent money so I stayed put and didn’t get many pics of other booths.

Today we took 3 of my chicks and hung them in the front of the booth in a bird cage.  They seemed to fair pretty well – I’ll make sure that they are still alive in the morning.  They were a lot of fun to have there and they drew a bit of attention.

I’m so exhausted tonight and I wish that I could say that someone else wrote this post because I fear that it may be kind of crazy but I’ll just have to say that I did it and that now I’m going to bed and will sleep sound until my normal wake-up time of 5:00 am, which undoubtedly will come way too early.

Making some progress…

setting the ‘mood’ with added beauty and fragrance

I mentioned last week that I needed to work on a little escape in order to accomplish something.  Yesterday I did just that.  I slipped up the wooded path to our cabin with soldering supplies in tow.  I worked away all day feeling like I was able to relax and accomplish a lot…listening (w/a little peak here and there) to fun movies along the way.  Mr T even brought me dinner and already has tonight’s dinner planned for me.  What a luxury.  I really should have thought of this earlier.

the view

This picture is a bit dark, but I'm working from a desk that my great grandpa made many, many years ago.

Yesterday, with the help of Mr T, we put the final seeds in our garden.  The whole thing is planted and I’m anxious to share pictures over the next few month. 

Another charmed week, indeed!

It’s been another week with a ‘charmed’ emphasis.

I love having a fun variety of mediums, textures and colors…around me as I work.

This is my attempt to ‘stock-up’ on these monogram charms.  They were a best-seller last year.

I layer a letter monogram on top of some very, very old handwritten German paper.

Some of the charms have wallpaper on the 2nd side but I feel like that’s a bit wasteful when it comes to showing off this wonderful paper, so, on some of them I’ve done a simple bit of collag{ing} on the 2nd side.

With these snippets from a French theatrical book, some words appear not-so-sweet…

…and others recognizably sweet.

We tried to save this poor little tweety this week as he had flown into a screen and stuck there!  He eventually left this refuge and we’re hoping that he’s now looking forward to spring and green grass.

a little look into my day…

Here is a true artist at work!  I actually have a hard time calling myself an artist but I remember what a relief I felt last year when I finally admitted to myself that ‘I am an artist‘.  It seemed as though it helped put another definition to the “who am I?’ question.  My crazy mind works like that of an artist.  I’ve often felt that if I had known that 30 years ago, I would have loved and flourished at an art school.  So, as it is, I am completely self-taught in most of what I do.   …sigh!      {this would be a great place to insert that I wouldn’t change anything in my life!}

I got this great new respirator mask this week to help save a few brain cells.  I completely despise it – except for the ‘saving brain cells’ part.

I really shouldn’t complain though – I mean, I know it looks hot!   …along with my new magnifying reading glasses!

and, it not only curbs my addiction to hot beverages and alleviates any desire to chew gum (2 $ savers here), it also helps me with my average-0f-one-pound-weight-loss-per-week diet plan.  By causing a slight state of suffocation, it removes any and all appetite.

I’m sorry if I’ve dashed your thoughts that soldering is a glamorous job with promises of a real future.

I’m afraid that breathing too many of those fumes would promise no real future at all.  We have, however,  some acceptable options in my area for suitable assisted living homes – after this post Mr T is going to be on the hunt for one.

Oh,my aching back!

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On a lighter note (actually, there isn’t anything light about it – it’s made up of the kind of stuff that’s made me heavy!), I am completely in love with the King Arthur Flour blog.  Their last two posts fascinate me.

p.s. since I’m on the sensitive subject of ‘heavy’, I’m really not as heavy as those pics make me look – at least I don’t think I am.

Fresh!

warm and ready for cleaning

I’m getting a good start…

I’ve got about 117 charms ready to solder.  I hate to see them build up like this because soldering is not my favorite part.  I can handle doing 10-20 at a time but I’ll probably have about 200 by the time I get to it.  I ran out of jump rings, ordered them yesterday…so I’ll just keep charming away…

A little DIM {do it myself}

I’ve been eyeing this fun shelf for months.  It’s the kind that is so ugly that it’s cute…you know the kind.

When I looked at it again last week for the umpteenth time it occurred to me that I had the perfect place for it…above a window in my workspace.  The cute little metal pulls were screaming to be painted RED.

It is a perfect fit – snuggled right in there between the ceiling and the window trim.

This is a very functional spot for me – so much is right at my fingertips and you can see the fun addition mounted right over the window.

I suppose it shows here (in my blog), but I’ve had a struggle getting back to ‘it’ since the holidays.  I’ve been tinkering here and there, accomplishing a little as I go.  In fact, I just sent my NewYear’s cards to the post office.  Whew!  Those always take me so long (doesn’t help that I had almost 100).  I have enjoyed being home a lot and I can feel my groove returning.  I was inspired by Diane’s post this morning to go make an apron and I just may do that.  She gets to use her own ‘yummy’ fabric – fabric that she designed.  Speaking of designing fabric – please visit my friend Scott and send a vote his way for some fabric that he has designed.  Scott is a guy that I have a lot of admiration for when it comes to his artistic and quilting capabilities – This goes for his wife Linda as well – she is an incredible artist. {and they are both personal friends}

So, now that it’s almost noon, it’s time for me to get ‘it’ together and do something fun, creative and necessary!

To do…

I’ve got this crazy shelf that is mounted above my watch maker’s desk/work station. I drug it out of the nastiness dwelling (it’s too yucky to call a home), slapped some paint on it and now I have so much fun with it.  Last night I drilled a hole in the end of a fork so that it can hold my to do lists and nailed it to the front of the shelf.

Workspace revised!

Here are some pics of the new space!  It’s a bit tight but I have most of what I need at my fingertips…with the help of my swirly, twirly chair.

a little closer up

This is a piece that I bought when I wanted to learn how to make soldered charms. At that time, I didn't know anything about how to make them...I didn't even know that there was soldering involved. It just inspires me~even though the soldering job is a little sad! 😦