It's Time For Some Art - Small and Large

I haven't talked about artwork for a while, and it seemed a good topic for the day. I'm starting out with the semi-ridiculous, artwork "installations" or "wedges" by AnonyMouse. This came across my feed a few days ago, and I bookmarked it for a return visit when I read that these sidewalk and low wall artworks appear in Sweden, France and on the Isle of Man. So, my friend who lives on the Isle of Man, have you seen any of these installations? It might be a wonderful thing for NYK1 and NYK2 to keep their eyes open for. 

Here is a miniature of Ricotta Records made and placed
by AnonyMouse. The following photo will give you
an idea of the scale of these detailed miniatures. 

Here, this tiny dog stands between two other AnonyMouse
installations. I have always enjoyed miniatures, perhaps it's
part of the reason why I work with beads. I wish there
was something similar in my area, but alas, there is not. 

AnonyMouse fashions miniature shops, restaurants or other venues and places them below the windows of the originals, at street level. There is usually an AnonyMouse logo accompanying the miniature. They are lovely, quite complex, miniature works of street art and I think they're something I would have loved to do as a younger person. The original article where I read about them is here (just follow the link), but those of you who live in the areas where they operate, just keep your eyes open. 

This wonderful piece, entitled "Wave" is on exhibit at the
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. It's carved from
Guarea wood from Nigeria, a gift from Margaret Gardiner. 

The Google Doodle this morning features Barbara Hepworth, a artist primarily known for her sculptures, although she did other types of art as well. She was focused, intense and dedicated to her art until she died in her 70's, and her artwork is in cities and on plazas throughout the world. I thought I'd share a few of her pieces that I really like. 

Her larger abstract sculptures are in permanent collections
throughout the world. I couldn't fine specific information
on this duo, but I really like them. 

This 21-foot-high sculpture entitled "Single Form" stands in front of
the United Nations building in New York City. It is dedicated to the
memory of Dag Hammarskjold. Here it still stands today, in front
of the Dag Hammarskjold Memorial Library at the UN in NYC. 

One last one, because I love this grouping so much. This is "Family
of Man" and stands in Suffolk, UK. I love the placement, I love
the abstracted yes balanced forms, and I love how they work together
to produce something truly wonderful. 

And there you have it - more of a pictorial blog today, but those are also fun. I hope you've enjoyed this small sojurn into artwork, large and small, and that you have a truly fabulous Tuesday. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Stay-at-Home - Day 40 - Channeling My Inner Dorothy

Sorry about missing yesterday's post. I ended up having to run quickly to the shop for a customer query and by the time I got back home, DH had the garage overtaken with his building. He's busy building privacy screens for the shop. Things were going OK ... but I've learned over the years it's better to walk through and ignore to the best of my ability. Which is exactly what I did. 

The walking boot is working OK, I'm still using crutches, but I'm not 100% dependent on them. I see the Podiatrist in two hours, so I'll get the scoop on the boot and how soon I can take the darned thing off when I see him. I might be tolerating the boot, but it's really hurting my shin and I hope he'll have some suggestions for that. 

Although Dorothy Gale overcame many obstacles on
her hunt for the Wizard and a return home, she isn't
the Dorothy I'm channeling.  

I headed today's post "Channeling My Inner Dorothy". Some of you may be thinking of Dorothy Gale, from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" fame, but no. My Dorothy was a very real woman whose fortitude I've been amazed by at various times of my life, but especially now that I've been relying on crutches and boots. 

Dorothy wore braces on her legs and had crutches
similar to these - attached at the upper arm with
bars for the hands. She managed to keep her rambunctious
family all together, kept a clean kitchen, and was
a rather phenomenal person. 

Many of you know I grew up in Denver. My best friend in childhood (aside from my cousin across the street) was the girl across the alley from me. She and her two younger brothers lived in a small house with their parents. Both parents were polio victims, her father usually in a wheelchair, her mother with arm-attached crutches. He was a talented jeweler, working for one of the downtown Denver custom jewelry stores, she was a stay-at-home housewife, because that was the trend back then in the "dark ages". 

Many of my readers are too young to remember the last major
Pandemic that spread through the world - Polio. I knew people
directly affected by polio, and even met a woman living inside
an iron lung when I was in my 30's. It's a truly frightening
disease and we managed to find a vaccine. We'll find one for
COVID-19 too, it's just going to take a while to find the best
one to offer to the world. 

When I look back at all they managed to do for their kids and the friends of their kids, I'm amazed. Dorothy was the mother's name, and what she could do on crutches was beyond amazing. Her husband, whose name I don't recall, was the handyman. He made us a seesaw for their back yard, he also made us our first skateboards from an old set of roller skates and a one-by-six board. We got really good at going full speed down the VERY steep hill at the bottom of my block. I suppose we could have seriously hurt ourselves - no helmets, no knee pads - but we all were very lucky and lived into adulthood. 

I think it's always good to remember people who left a positive impact on us. So, I'm channeling my own Dorothy as I work through the problems ahead with my foot being broken and still having to make my store ready to open on the 18th. I just thought I'd share a bit of her story with all of you today. As always, Stay Safe, Stay Home, Stay Well. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Inspiration Boards - Do You Have One?

My BFF, Sharon sent me this amazing and wonderful quotation by Dorothy Sayers that I thought I'd share with all of you today: 

"Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force".

So there we go - one more reason for me to be me, and I totally love this one. I've printed it out and I'll add it to my "Inspiration Board" so that I don't lose it. What? You don't have an "Inspiration Board"? It's something I read about and made many years ago, and it actually works, on a subconscious level. 

My Inspiration Board is a bit more permanent that this, and
has a bit less white space, but the concept is firm - things
that will inspire you to achieve your long-term goals. 

Ideally an inspiration board or a goals board is something you should see every day. It should depict goals you want in your life, and things that motivate you to achieve those goals. Mine has a variety of things on it including quotations from Picasso and Bradbury, as well as fake money (because, it would be nice to actually earn some $ sometime - LOL) and a printout of my first LOTRO character because I really wanted to look like her. I do look over my Inspiration Board every now and again - it's not in a super accessible place right now because boxes of packed books are blocking easy visibility. I still totally work with what's on there. 

Inspiration Boards should be very visible at your workspace, because
they should be pulling you through the tough spots and inspiring you
to continue in your achievements. Everyone's board will be
different. 

When I was focused on losing weight and getting into physical condition, one of the things I thought about was that picture of my LOTRO character - svelte and competent. When I got into a problem area with a crafting project, or was under a deadline to get my holiday cards designed, colorized and out of the door, I thought about several of the quotations which taught me to run with the changes and embrace them into my art. 

I love this cloth-covered corkboard-style of Inspiration Board. My own
board is a piece of picture board from my picture framing studio area.
Most boards are changeable, mine is not, but down the line, after I've
moved into my new craft area, I'll make a new board which might have
more flexibility. 

My "Inspiration Board" holds a postcard from Just-Ann-Now that features amazing stained glass work with a piece of moon rock - reminding me of beauty and spectacular goals, as well as on-line friends. It has a postcard of a field of wildflowers in front of the snowcapped mountains of Colorado so I don't forget my roots. It has reminders that I don't need to live expensively to live large. It's got a lot of good reminders. 

I rather like this Inspiration Board basis - the metal grid allows
for each placement of things that inspire. It's very minimalist,
and quite brilliant in concept. 

So today I'll add that quotation by Dorothy Sayers to the board, because it resonates with me. Maybe it will resonate with you too, or maybe you should make your own "Inspiration Board". I know it's one tool that has worked for me for many years now. Happy Tuesday, we're snow-free until tomorrow, but the end part of our week will probably really suck with a Spring snowstorm. Ugh! I'll be back tomorrow, and I hope you have a fabulous and creative day. 

Hunting for Muses and Motivation

Today I have to take some time and write - actually write. I have a story due in less than two weeks with a good beginning, but I need to add a lot to it and it's got a deadline I cannot miss. It seems odd to be writing again. In the last nine months of 2015, I only wrote a single story - a 100 word drabble. This, from a person who spewed words out like raindrops in the tropics in prior years. But I wasn't 'inspired' or 'motivated' or any other number of things and excuses.

My muses always manage to find really good caves in which to hide. 

In cases where motivation lies dormant and the muses have found a cave and retreated from view, it can be difficult to rediscover and revive them. In the past, I hunted for them. I grabbed my mental flashlight and went searching in the dark corners of my mind. Sometimes I found them, whipped the motivation back up to a standing position and pulled the muses back into the sunlight. But that didn't work in 2015.

In my case, motivation rarely seeks me out. Instead, I have to
find it and lead it back to my home port. 

Last year my motivation refused to rise, despite tender loving care and feeding. Last year my muses triple-locked the gates blocking their cave and refused to listen to my pleading words. Last year, in other words, was a bust. The fact that I was even able to pull out a drabble in the latter part of the year was a bit miraculous.

It's time to round up my muses and my motivation. It's time to
sit at the keyboard for something other than tax forms and blogs.
It's time to WRITE! 

But this year I'm armed. I'm taking my flame thrower to burn down the door to my motivation's hide-out. I'll feed it and drag it out into the sunlight. This year I'm taking my metal cutters to cut through the chains, and a torch to melt the locks blocking the entrance to the cave where my muses have secreted themselves. I'll find them and bring them back to a sunlit glade. They'll be kicking and screaming, and I'll probably be bruised, but the clock is ticking and I have people counting on me. Here's hoping you have a great and productive Thursday. I certainly plan to :-)

Water and Mountains - Nothing Better

It's a Guppy and Alps day today, and I have to say I love it. Even though I have to work on my "day off" and won't have my usual running around with errands because Chickie had the nerve to actually take a week's vacation, it could be worse. That doesn't mean I'm not dealing with the schedule from hell, but ... it could be worse - LOL.

Stage 17 is the first true Alpine stage. Just look at those
wonderful mountains in the way. Yippee! 

Today we go into the Alps for the first of four punishing days as we come to the conclusion of Le Tour de France. Just look at those peaks in the picture above. Today's route is from Digne-les-Bains to Pra-Loup (via the Col des Champs). It's only (yeah - only. Who am I kidding!) It's only 161km and there have been longer stages this year, but we're going up and down to a maximum of 2200 meters high, and ending on an up with a hefty 6.5% gradient. Today is two Cat 3's, two Cat 2's (one at the end) and a single Cat 1. And it's just the first day of the Alps. I'm in Le Tour heaven.

I've seen her training, of course. She never misses a day
and she's very serious about her training. 

Today is also a Guppy Day, so I'll start things out with an hour in the pool. One of the people I share my mornings with is an older woman, Jeanne Minder, who competes in the Senior Games as a Triathlete. In fact, in the games held here a few weeks ago, she was awarded a gold medal in the sport. We had a horrific storm late Friday/early Saturday and I found out yesterday that her house had been hit by a ball of lightning and she had barley escaped with her dogs, her car and her gym bag. Everything else was a complete loss and the house burned to the ground. I really feel for her. She's currently in a residential hotel but her insurance company says it will be 6-9 months before a replacement house is built and ready for her to move into. And, of course, she lost everything - photos, mementos, everything. How devastating. But she's back at the gym, working out every day. What a courageous woman.

Here's Jeanne with her Gold Medal just a few weeks ago. If you might
be interested in reading a bit more about her, follow the link. 

Here's hoping you have a wonderful Wednesday and a calm and joy-filled day.

Thoughts On Creativity

I am often labelled a "creative" person, even though I haven't had a chance to do much creative work in my preferred media for far too long. Still, I suppose I do look at the world from my own point of view - checking out angles, lighting, colors and textures, seeing typos in books and visualizing characters in my mind that I want to see more of in future volumes by authors I read. Is this creative thinking? Some might think it is. 

Creativity can be channeled, and sometimes can be dampened, but
it can never truly be eliminated. That flame always burns. 

My creativity lately has revolved around the remodeling of my house, playing with virtual jigsaw puzzles to relax, and planning two projects out in my head for when I actually have time to pull out my sketchbooks and pens. Will the projects be done or even started this year? It's hard to say since the year is already half-finished today and I haven't been able to start them yet. 

Ideas can be small or very large and colorful. They can
be a single concept or a melding of techniques. In all
cases, the ideas are still creative. 

Does that stop me thinking about projects, colors, how I want to use beads or stone, paint or metal? Hell no. Does that stop me from wanting to write again? No, of course not. But right now I have to be realistic enough to realize that my plate is groaning under the assortment of every-day things I'm working with. 

The tap of creative thinking isn't something that can be turned on or off, it
is always on, just sometimes it is lodged in place temporarily, before
it works loose flow with water once more. 

I think that's one of the beauties of creativity. It never really stops. It might plop itself down in the river for a long while, forcing the river's waters to pass by on each side, but eventually it will be uprooted once more and allowed to flow freely down the canyon and into real life. I know some of my friends on my various lists sometimes feel as though they have stepped out of the creative flow and wonder if that spark will ever return. I know it will return because once the tap of creativity has been accessed, it never truly shuts down again. Hibernation is perfectly OK because creative thinking will awaken once more. Happy end of June to all, and have a great Tuesday! 

Time to Focus

It was a weekend where I actually was able to accomplish a lot. Both stories I needed to finish have been completed and submitted. DH and I watched "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug" on Saturday night before the hockey game, and I roasted a nice turkey for our Easter dinner with all of the fixings - rather like an off-season Thanksgiving dinner. It's what DH wanted for dinner, and I never mind cooking a turkey - they really cook themselves so it's easy.

I love turkey and making them is so easy. Yes, I have to baste it regularly,
but after putting it into the oven, that's all I have to do. It's one of
the easier things I cook for special events and days. 

But it's time to focus. I want to write a small story for blsLarner's birthday. Her birthday was a week ago, but I usually write a fic or a drabble for her. I promised one to her and the concept came to me over the weekend. Now to make it come from my head to my fingers and then to the keyboard.

I love this writing, both in appearance and in message. 

I was going to go out to the car dealer again tonight, but I've decided to go back out there on Wednesday instead. I want to take another serious look at the car, and DH said he really doesn't care to be involved. So that leaves me on my own. I'd rather take my time and my Wednesdays are less time constrained than trying to hit the dealership after work tonight. I'm just not 100% sure about whether this will do everything I need, so I need to take another very careful look.

I can hardly wait for Spring to finally arrive along with flowers, happy
birds, warm temperatures and, unfortunately, our severe weather -
thunderstorms and tornadoes. 

Spring seems to have finally moved in, at least our temperatures will be in the 50's and 60's for the week (although our overnight temps will still drop to below freezing each night). But I'm willing to say that our snow is probably behind us and that even if we get a last try by the storm gods, it will be quick and messy, but gone soon and melted within a day. It's about time!

Let's not forget the horror and terror of the Boston Marathon last year, in 2013.
I hope that this year it will be a triumphant return to a premier athletic event
instead of forever more linked with terrorism. 

Today the Boston Marathon will be run and more than 36,000 runners will run through the course. As each one crosses the finish line, I'm sure that most of them will think about last year's bombing while they catch their breath and massage their jellied legs. The police presence has been magnified dramatically, cameras are located throughout the course, and larger handbags and backpacks are subject to search. All I hope is that everyone will be safe and that events like this won't be chosen to make 'political' statements any more.

Be good, be safe, and have a wonderful Monday.

Ramblings - A Variety of Small Thoughts, Pics and Paragraphs

I'm uninspired today. I'm tired, I'm cold, and I really wish I could groundhog it today and just curl up in blankets with a good book and a warm cup of tea. But reality intervenes and raises its highly annoying head and work calls. I can wish for an opportunity like this, but even tomorrow, my scheduled day off, won't be able to be spent lazing about with a book and a cuppa. Since I'm uninspired, I'm going to allow my mind to roam free for today's post  - so anything goes.

Do you remember the musical?

Anything Goes - the musical was originally written in 1934 by Cole Porter. It isn't performed as often, although in 2011 it was on Broadway (and may still be - I'm not up on my Broadway shows). It was supposed to originally star Ethel Merman and it's got a stellar list of songs that have stayed with us for so many years.

I loved this evil Sochi mascot welcoming people with
the traditional bread and salt. It's one of a series of
black art done by a Russian artist for the games.
To see more of the art, follow the link. It's worth a look.

The Winter Olympics - Sochi begins on February 6th (or at least the broadcasting of the Olympics will begin then). Between the various television stations and the internet, they promise that every event and every minute will be available to watch. Those of us addicted to the Olympics might be in serious trouble if that's the case because we'll be glued to the TV.

Charles Agustus Magnussen is the villain for this episode, and he's
a good one. I'm looking forward to watching the episode again because there's
a lot to take in. But unlike others, I really enjoyed Season 3. 

His Last Vow was the third episode of Season Three's "Sherlock". There's lots of buzz about the episode and growls and applause, but here's my take (for whatever it's worth). I enjoyed it. There you go. It was confusing in some ways, but I liked it. The dynamics between the characters was deepened, the schisms of beliefs grew and the surprises were fun. My only disappointment - that there were only three episode in Season 3. I feel shorted.

The Kitten Bowl featured a variety of different balls and teams usually
separated by coat coloring. It's hard to resist kittens at any time, but
they were truly adorable as they chased the ball and pounced here and there. 

Finally, did you catch the Kitten Bowl on Superbowl Sunday? It was totally adorable. The portion we saw had a complicated channel and lighted balls that the kittens were coaxing along the track to the end zones. They were super into those balls :-) So cute!

So there you have it - random thoughts and silly things for your Tuesday pleasure. Enjoy the day!

Beauty Can't Be Hidden - Influencing Others

So I had a chance to meet up with kymahalei yesterday morning. She, her husband and their daughter were in Minnesota checking out colleges where Anna might transfer to. If she does (and if her transfer application is accepted) then she'll be attending her Mom's alma mater up here in St Paul, and her mom, the lovely Ky, will be traveling up here again and more often. That would make me very happy because we had a simply lovely time getting to know one another in person after years of typing messages and emails back and forth.

Ky is a truly beautiful person - she glows. The warmth is shared in different ways by her other family members. Her husband has a warm aura as does her daughter. But Ky simply glows.

People like Ky can brighten the lives of those around them without even making a serious effort. But when they do make an effort, the effects can be almost blinding. These are people who can change the lives of others. It was a real pleasure to meet someone who has that effect upon others.

Have you even known someone who changes a room just by being in it? I have met many people who have a buffer around them that will effect others, some in good ways and others in bad. I have heard it said that a person's mood will affect others around them and I have seen that in action, but I think of it more like a large bubble or wave. This bubble surrounds each one of us and when it intersects with those of others, it changes the other person. Bubbles can be soothing or filled with anger, inspiring or dampening, interested or indifferent.

So I ask you to think today. What kind of aura or bubble or wave are you projecting today? Are you a welcoming, white/yellow like Ky was yesterday? How about the warm topaz of her husband which showed interest and sincerity in others but a bit less emotional involvement? Maybe you're a warm blue calming influence. How about projecting the green that encourages growth? Try to stay away from the anger of dark, intense red or orange because, although it can feed action and spur decision, it can be difficult for others to understand and react to with calmness. But wherever you go and whoever you interact with remember that you will influence their day for the positive or the negative. Try to leave only positive experiences behind you as you walk through your life today.

Inspiration...I'm Not Quite There Yet

Back to Middle Earth Month has a history of taking place during March every year, at least since I joined the fanfiction community in late 2009. The first B2ME I experienced was in 2010. I was not a participant because I, quite simply, didn't understand the premise or the mechanisms of that year's challenge. It looked like fun and there were wonderful stories that were written for it, but it was nothing I felt up to joining except to leave a few reviews for some of the authors. Baby steps...

Losgar was the stamp for Day 2 of the Passport Challenge. I
really loved the look of this stamp, but all of them were wonderful.

In 2011 the Passport was the focus and I was pulled into writing within the first five days. I loved the passport, loved the pictures, loved the entire idea. I wanted those stamps in my virtual pages and wrote for each day. By the end of the month I had a fully stamped passport - so pretty. It was early in my Lizard Council days and I posted each story there for crit. I learned a lot during those 31 days of writing, both in terms of style and what to look for in crit. It was a learning experience that I was thrilled with - a baptism by fire with people I respected giving me assistance and opinions that helped my writing skills. I look back on those days and am very happy that I was pulled into writing, something I had thought I would never do for the public eye.

It was a lot of work, but I got this 3rd place and a 4th place Bingo banner.

The 2012 B2ME was BINGO. Participants chose to play Bingo cards that centered on areas of their interest and that would provide random daily prompts in response to a single Bingo number pulled at random. There were a lot of cards to choose from. I think I ended up with eight cards - really too many. Some days I only got one or two prompts, others I had as many as six Bingo spaces that were covered by the day's call-out. It was a lot of work. But through the pressure I wrote - and wrote - and wrote. And I ended up loving what I produced and was very proud of some of the stories I wrote and researched. I know I still used Lizard Council's aid for some of the stories, and also had some feedback from people I knew from the Council about points that they saw as inaccurate. Whenever the comments merited, I changed things. I don't know everything and rely on others to help. Thank the Powers that they are kind enough to do so. Their help only strengthens my work and I am always grateful for the input. It was a crazy writing time, though. I ended up writing more than 60 individual pieces for the month - way too much work, but fun.

This is one of the new banners - so very pretty!

That brings me to this year's B2ME - The Scavenger Hunt. Possible scenarios for this year's B2ME had been put to a vote. I didn't vote for this format, I voted for alphabetical prompts, but I don't mind a Scavenger Hunt, it's pretty easy to do with electronic books and the various indexes available. The quotations that started us out were alphabetically arranged, and I enjoyed that and chose one to work with. Each day the moderators provide us with three additional quotations to help inspire new tales or new plot twists. It's actually a good format. But I'm afraid I'm less than inspired. I am working on a single story, bringing back a character that I love and if any of the supplementary prompts make it into the tale, I'm not sure it will be intentional. I am finding it hard to write around quotations. But, maybe after I finish CB's artwork which is higher on my to-do list I'll feel differently. At least I am working on one larger story and therefore I am still an active participant. That's what's important. Now to go out and shovel the 6 inches of snow that fell overnight *sigh*.... BTW - the new microwave works really well.

Backlogged - What a Nice Way to Live

I'm backlogged - totally under water. I got a BINGO in 2nd place yesterday with the B-14 call, but I'm still writing/researching the story because I just don't know enough about the specifics of the timeframe. I'll have it nailed and posted by tonight, then a short one to finish up that number. Yesterday night's number is also going to require some research. That's what I'm really enjoying about B2ME this year, though. Instead of just being things that are springing from my own head, they are actually based in history and I love doing historical research.

I have a art project on Spring Greens due today. I did spend an hour yesterday getting the base drawn out, scanned, and printed onto the type of paper I want to use. I will be continuing to work on this throughout the day at the shop. I know exactly what I want to have as the final effect, but it won't be done today. I'll Email them and tell them I'll turn it in early next week. This makes two artwork deadlines for this group that I've missed (sigh), but at least this is closer to being done than my last piece.

I really could use another day off, but I'm grateful that I got one at all and I'll make it work. I still can't shake my cold - I have a deep cough and a sinus drip that just won't stop. I don't think I've been healthy for more than a week at a time since the year started. Ridiculous! And congratulations to Mondo, the well-deserved winner of Project Runway All Stars. He had a great collection and since he should have won on Season 8, it was a delight to finally have his talent recognized.

Sharpening My Colored Pencils

Actually, I'm sharpening my artistic skills because they are being pulled in to play now. I am still working on my LOTR Community Art Challenge (I'm WAY late with this, but knew I would be and was assured by the moderator that late was OK). I did get some work done on it yesterday, now I'm into the coloring and painting section - crossing my fingers because I can really ruin it now - LOL.

And I had volunteered to do artwork for an author for OEAM Big Bang. I got my author assignment over the weekend and started reading her text. Fortunately she is an f-list friend, so I don't think she'll be too disappointed with whatever I come up with, but I will have firm deadlines for this one so can't fall too far behind on them. I don't know yet how many illustrations I'll end up doing for this, I'll figure it out as I read.

DH and I had a somewhat relaxing Sunday. We shoveled some minor snow and scattered salt to help eliminate ice, then went to Target for foodstuffs, etc (because food is just one of those important things...) and after we had put the groceries away, we hopped on over to Dick Blick Art Supplies to see what we could find. I bought a ceramic tile for an enamel piece I want to play with, and a finger controlled craft knife because I have lost the first two I already had (sigh). DH got some new pens, and I bought Chickie a black sketch pad that she had been wanting. I was pleased. I'll be back there on Wednesday with a coupon to pick up some pens that DH had wanted. I told him I'd buy them for him with my coupon, but I had left the coupon at my computer station at work (silly me). Oh well.

Now...back to work, back to the grindstone, back to writing another drabble within the next day or so, and back to reading for illustrations. This could be a fun week...and it will end with Super Bowl (happy commercials and horrible, good tasting food). All is good - LOL.

Focus...Focus...

I finally have decided what I am making for smaller holiday gifts. They aren't as elaborate as last year's beaded holiday stars, but still are taking longer to make than I had originally intended. I wanted something that would take about an hour, maybe two hours to make, but these are closer to 3-4 hours. But, that's still better than the 8+ hours that last year's stars took. Now I just need to fit some beading time into my writing and editing time.

I have a friend (fellow author) going in for surgery tomorrow, and another friend who has a dear family member going in for some tests today, so any thoughts that could be spared for these two people would be appreciated.

And I think I'll continue working with my pens and my computerized image machine for the interior sentiment on my cards on Wednesday. I'll work on that and get that going, because I want to spend the next times working on the decorating. I have all sorts of new equipment I purchased this summer that I want to be able to use on my cards. We'll see what actually will happen...it's a crap shoot. I'll toss ideas in the air and see what comes down as viable. At least I'm playing with creativity...just not with my glasswork :-) Have a wonderfully creative week ahead of you!

Winter Is Coming...

We are expected to get our first snow today, and I am SO not ready. I don't want to replace the snow shovel and sweepers into my car again. I don't want to face pulling snow off the roof for another winter. Can I move to a nice warm climate for the winter? No...I'll diminish and return to my life and remain Sandra.....(with apologies to Tolkien for the paraphrasing).

I am running so late today, and I'm trying to be positive about the winter to come, so I thought I would find some lovely snowfall pictures to share with all of you today and just leave my post short and sweet. Because to me, snowy days are incredibly inspirational. I want to go into the studio and make art. I want to play with the kiln. I want to form metal. I want to melt glass. So, if this truly is the start to winter for me, I guess I'm OK with it.

Finally Friday

It's been a very busy week at the shop and after hours. That's great, but I'm a bit behind on my beta. I'll finish the latest chapter for Iris tonight and get it sent off to her. But I should have had it done a couple of days ago :-( I did get a story posted for Game of Thrones, have another couple in the works, am continuing to work on drabbles, and when I can find the time and inspiration, work on my H-verse. I am tempted to go back - seriously back - and do some major editing on this.

Thursday nights we reserve for Project Accessory. Yesterday's show was all about handbags. They said that the average woman has six handbags. Six! I adore handbags. I can count six just sitting on ledges around me right now. If I open my closet to see my handbag shelf, I'll have more than 30 more. I adore handbags. I guess I'm not the norm :-) I wanted to put a pic of the winning bag - it was truly beautiful, but their website really sucks and I couldn't grab an image.

However, I did grab an image of the winning shoes from the shoe challenge two weeks ago. Now, many women who may not be that crazy about handbags are bonkers over shoes. Shoes don't do a thing for me - they are something I wear to keep my feet away from broken glass and icky stuff, and because of my orthotics, they also keep me free from pain. But I'm no fashionista when it comes to shoes. These shoes, however, were really wonderfully made and very colorful. Sassy! Enjoy a creative Friday and carry that creativity through into your weekend.