My one day off. It’s a day for yummy brunches, parties, seeing friends and most important, hitting the studio to wrap up some unfinished projects and start some new….
Waiting
It’s hard to write today because I am very nervously anticipating something, something it is way to early to share any kind of details about. But suffice to say that I haven’t moved from in front of my email inbox all morning and my stomach is doing excited flip-flops. Maybe, just maybe by the skin of my teeth, I might have something cool to share with you all in a couple of weeks.
To bide the time I have been flipping through the shops of some talented Etsy artists, and I love the calm serenity I am getting from these etched metal art tiles from CopperLeafStudios.
Now I’m off to the gym…. I’ll try to put some of this energy to good use!
Dreams of Spring
This little hummingbird necklace from UnderGlass is so sweet, it’s a little warm reminder of spring to come on an icy, chilly night.
And it’s a reminder sorely needed, since I have been up and about since 5:30 a.m. and even with the equinox long past, this feels like one of those truly long, cold days of winter.
It began with a failed attempt to get D. into a public dental clinic this morning (the poor boy needs three root canals, and doesn’t have insurance for it). We woke up well before dawn, but still arrived too late to get him on the list. We consoled ourselves with steaming cups of coffee at one of my favorite breakfast joints.
That was followed by a long, full day at work, a race to gobble down food and get to my first continuing-ed class on the Adobe program, InDesign. Even though it was interesting, I struggled to stay awake during the three-hours of instruction. It was after 10 p.m. by the time I finally drove back home, in the dark and the beginnings of an ice and snow flurry.
Where did the day go? I can’t wait until it’s spring again and I have a chance to relax and watch the hummingbirds go by…
Yum
I’m running off and won’t be able to post tonight, but I’m very excited because D.’s cooking for guests. I heard a preview of the menu: Asian-influenced beef short ribs, spicy udon noodles with bok choy and sweet snap peas. Can’t wait!!
A writer’s ornament
Remember those typewriter key earrings D. got me for Christmas?
Here’s the next logical step (as well as a step back in time) from OppulentOddities.
Hmmm…and it’s almost Valentines Day, too… Time to start dropping some hints!
Stamps
Someone yesterday mentioned that they use bisque clay (once fired clay) for their stamps. So do I – in fact, I’m developing quite a stamp collection. Although the high-density foam is easy to carve and doesn’t get wet or stick to the clay, it does wear down over time. Someone once told me that the foam is perfect because the stamps break “just when they’re about to become cliche.”
Bisque stamps, on the other hand, are very durable. As long as I don’t drop them too many times, they could last me a lifetime. Many of my bisque stamps are “roulettes” that I carved so I can roll them evenly around my pieces. Boy are they a pain in the a** to make!!!! But they are excellent and very useful when they are done. I don’t know what I would do without them!
Exploring
Lately I’ve been making a couple of new stamps. Nothing complex, just some simple shapes like this little spiral and scroll, that I can play around with. They take a long time to carve, since they are very small and I etch them out of a special high-density foam with an exacto-knife.
But each one is like a little riff in an improvised song, they give me something to combine and re-combine with existing shapes and pieces, and a jumping off point for future designs. They also look lovely on their own and stamped into little shapes destined to be pendant beads.
Maybe they won’t wind up in any grand artwork or series of pieces, but it is nice (especially after the busy holiday season!) to have a chance to relax with my pottery and play around a bit!
Arrived!
Hey folks! I’m sitting on the floor under a desk at a church in Washington D.C. because that’s as far as I can get the ethernet cord to reach! The drive in was easy, everyone is excited, and we have plenty of biscuits leftover from our dinner at CrackerBarrel. And the neat thing is that the place we are staying is literally a block from the parade route. Very cool.
Okay, I gotta run. More if I can manage it!
Thanks, Mom
Yeah, I might have rolled my eyes when you got me another pair of silk long underwear. I mean, compared to growing up in frigid Rochester, N.Y., Philly is a more of an equatorial rainforest climate. And honestly, how many pairs of wool socks does a gal need?
But I take it all back. I’m going to be standing still out in near-freezing temps on Tuesday for probably upwards of ten to twelve hours, and I’m seriously thankful for it all. Those high-tech super-warm ski gloves from L.L. Bean that I shoved in a drawer? Totally gonna need them. That fleece lined hat that I never liked to wear cus it messed up my hair? I’m breakin’ it out. That little windbreaker you insisted I bring back to Philly “just in case”? Perfectly fits under my winter jacket.
Combined, of course, with the 100% silk drawers you sent me, the expensive SmartWool socks and the nice scarf you got me last Hanukkah…I plan on being snug as a bug. I did a test-run of my cold-proof outfit today and was instantly sweltering in my warm apartment. A good sign. This is one of those times that I’m so glad I came from the land of ice and snow…I not only have the gear, but I know how to dress for the weather. I hope that it’ll make the next few days an enjoyable, exciting experience, instead of a chilly, grueling one.
Partial Packing List
– Binoculars
– Sleeping bag
– Two notebooks
– Five pens
– 20 pencils for when the ink freezes in the pens
– Every pair of wool socks known to man
– Long underwear
– Peruvian Llama-hair gloves
– Self-warming shoe inserts
– Wool hat
– Awesome compass, hand-carved by WoodElements, which I would totally bring if I owned it!
….
Hmmm…am I going to an inauguration or spelunking?
In the Night Kitchen 