Well, the trip to the Whole Bead Show was a fun couple of hours! When I walked in the font door a total stranger walked up to me, as she was leaving, and gave me her ticket to 'get in'. So, I thought, well, this is a good start. MUCH bigger than the Providence show, although I did see some of the same vendors. The fun part was that I met some great people. I was carrying the 'Handbook to Handmade' Volume 3, and was able to show it to a lovely Grandmother, from Dublin, Ireland, who was visiting her daughter in Brooklyn. She was busy shopping for beads and happy that she could take them back to Ireland with her rather than paying Fed Ex a small fortune in shipping fees. I told her about the Etsy web site and she was thrilled. I also met a gal who is a member of the New York Bead Society. They have about 500 members and they meet at the Fashion Institute of Technology once a month. I showed her the book, as well as handing her a business card with he Etsy web site on it. I wound up buying some vermeil components, chain and some very sparkly baubles. I now have many more pieces to the puzzle which, by some miracle will come together, when I sit down to make some more earrings!

Out of Town

I will be in NYC Thursday-Sunday, paying a visit to the Whole Bead Show picking up some baubles and enjoying the change of scene. If I don't get back to any of you quickly, please do understand. I will have access to a computer, but I think that I will enjoy my time AWAY from it!!!! No worries, I'll be checking in everyday!

Wordless Wednesday....

Lilltle Kitty, aka, Girl Whirl

Little Kitty, as we call her, (although a friend suggested that we change her name to Medium Kitty once she grew out of the kitten phase), is a loopy, mischievous, playful, predictable girl whirl. She loves to snuggle way under the covers at night, which I think is oh, so sweet. My husband, not so much....but there she is! There is a 6 year difference between our girl and boy cats and it took Big Kitty a good year to snap out of the deep depression he went into when we brought home this tiny ball of gray fur. He just didn't know that he was still king of the hill. Now, we are pleased to say that he sincerely tolerates her!

Artist Way Easter Egg

This Easter egg was done 2 years ago with my Artist Way gals. Last year, we made May baskets. I remember as a child, even though we didn't celebrate Easter, my cousins and I would dye eggs together in Garrison, New York , always outside, with such a beautiful landscape surrounding us. So, sitting and dying eggs in Rhode Island, as an adult brought back a flood of wonderful childhood memories.

A Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

Morning Painting

Following the theme of letting your guts fall all over the paper with paint in hand, this piece, is an overlay of 2 paintings. The wonders of modern technology meets the timeless wonder of original art. My other roommate from college, Marsha, (http://www.marshas.net) had fun on her computer and sent a couple of the paintings back to me relatively transformed. I played with rotating it in all four directions, and this is the 'view' that hit me in the place that felt right. Morning paintings taking on layers. Makes sense to me!

Morning Painting, Again

This is a morning watercolor, painted in the thick of winter.....but, I'll bet that you already knew that! Sometimes, just painting, without thinking, trying to keep the childlike/play attitude is harder than getting the paints out, sitting down and just letting it 'happen'. A masterpiece is not the goal. The goal is to basically spill your guts onto the paper and keep on painting until there is a great sense of relief. Guess what, this is one of many!

My Gal, Gabby!!!

These beautiful, handcrafted, metal hearts are made by my friend Gabby. We met on the Etsy thread for the 'Handbook to Handmade' and are sisters of Volume 3. It is so interesting meeting so many different gifted, amazingly talented artists on-line, in cyber-space, out here in the wild west of the blogosphere. But, somehow, if we stick around a thread long enough, our hearts show. Gabby and I clicked, we have a connection. We've never met. We live on either side of the country, but I can feel her heart from all the way over there. So, here are some of her pieces, so beautifully made with allot of heart!. Check out her shop @: http://janedeaux.etsy.com/

Big Kitty, 'The Man'

I have been spending ALLOT of time in the 'blogosphere', looking at everybodys' beautiful pets, and I have posted my other cat (I'm sure that she will make another appearance). So, in all fairness to my Big Kitty, here he is. I love this picture of him. It is not easy taking pictures of black/very dark brown cats. When the flash goes off in the camera, it reflects on their fur and they look like cat aliens and it can be VERY SCARY...but in this picture, this light hit him in all the right places...isn't he gorgeous? He is such a good guy as well...got to love him!

Hee Soon

Hee Soon quickly became one of my favorite jewelry designers on Etsy. That's what I want to be when I grow up, I thought. She is blessed to use some of the most beautiful gemstones. These two are just a tease. The necklace, a stone named KYANITE, and the earrings are natural shaded rubies faceted roundells. Her work is so feminine all the while using wonderful variety of gems from small briolettes (en mass) to larger gemstones. Please treat yourself to an eye full and visit her shop @:

http://skydreams.etsy.com/

Knight in Shining Armour

This magnificent knight in shining armour, sitting atop this majestic horse is found in the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I took this picture for sentimental reasons a couple of summers ago. My husband and I were in New York visiting Mom when Edward was at camp. When my son was in 4th grade (now a college freshman), he and Julia (if you're reading this, hi Jules!!) and I, spent the afternoon at the museum. Sketchbooks in hand, we made ourselves comfy on the floor of the museum. There are always artists of ALL ages sketching throughout the museum. Edward, the budding artist was getting frustrated with himself, wanting to do his best job. AHHH, the perfectionist at the tender age of 9...well, at least with his artwork. He finally quieted himself down and drew the picture posted above (in close-up), which is still, these many years later, my favorite of all his drawings.

Gift in February

Today, in New England, we experienced a day that felt like Spring. Oh, we know it won't be here tomorrow, but, the thrill of taking my jacket off while driving and walking around for a bit with that same jacket sitting in the front seat of my car was VERY refreshing. The signs are here, a few bulbs popping up, a couple of early morning chirps coming from the trees behind my house. And, alas, this flower, a Winter gift, sister to 'Wake Up Peach'. I bring my potted plants inside once the weather turns in the Fall. This year, this flower decided to visit me in the month of February. No complaints from me. Mother Nature has her own mind!

Reach Up

These perfect tiny, tiny yellow flowers were part of a formal bouquet that my cousin sent to my Mother for her birthday in January. I was visiting her in New York at the time. I knew that there was a picture hiding in that beautiful arrangement, but I had to find it. So, I took picture after picture after picture, until...BINGO...and this is it!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Purple Cabbage

This is one of my favorite photographs. The element of surprise is often in play when taking pictures. This is a purple cabbage. I place them in my window boxes in the Fall. They are grown in a beautiful creamy, white, with the deep green leaves around the many layers of the cabbage to frame them. And, of course, you have all seen them, there is the purple variety. The colors are so rich and the cabbages so hearty, that they have lasted well into February. This picture reminds me of an underwater plant. A rich seaweed, something that you might find in the Pacific, maybe in the waters near Hawaii. Maybe I just want to be in the waters near Hawaii right now. I love that you can take a picture of something we think we know, and there it is, 'surprise!', it looks like something else completely.....amazing. You can find this in my Etsy shop!