Production Mode

I was already in high production mode, preparing for MJ's Craft Show mid-October, but now it looks like I'm going to participate in my first solo craft show - at St. John's of Rochester, mid-November. MJ emailed me today that she gave my name to the organizer. I came home to find the application had arrived in the mail. I'm ready to do it. Details to follow.

Wednesday

I'd forgotten how much fun Quoted is. Laugh out loud funny.

Stella turned me on to these two new journals to read:

Earth Home Garden, in case you ever wondered what happened to hippies who got married 26 years ago. (Besides Mary, I mean.)

Farmgirl Fare, subtitled: A taste of country living without leaving home. Food writing & recipes, farm life tidbits, news from the organic heirloom garden & greenhouse, and step-by-step progress as I create a small artisan bread bakery--all from my 240-acre remote Missouri farm. And her Daily Farm Photos are wonderful.

These fascinating blogs and journals that abound on the Internet, play right into my love of autobiographies, my favorite genre. I was just thinking last night about the first time I found another craft-related online journal. It was such a vivid eureka moment that really opened the door for me to totally embrace what I do. What I'd thought of as silly little hobbies suddenly took on meaning and I became proud and confident of what I can do. My family is crafty, as are a few of my friends, but I feel like most people I know in real life are not. The Internet has given me an instant connection with (too!) many like-minded artists and craftspeople.

I told Simon the other day that even I can no longer remember life before the Internet. Last week I was listening to my first homemade mix CD in the car and wondering about some lyrics I was hearing. I decided to look them up on the Internet when I got home. Then I thought what the heck did we do before the Internet? Go to the record store and hope the lyrics were printed on the back of the album jacket, I guess.

I use Internet Movie Database at least once a week, if not more, to look something up, like if an actor looks familiar, where have I seen them before. Look 'em up!

~ ~ ~

More Spirellas.

Staying organized. (The good news is I need a bigger board!)

Monday

Maura Muir is an amazing polymer clay artist, right here in Rochester! I found her through the Studio 34 website. I've been to a bead show there - the artists are amazing. If I didn't have my hands full at the moment, I'd be very tempted to take some classes there.

I know I'm really losing my mind because I can't remember if I posted this thought before or if I just thought it. When I was driving down University Avenue to get to the Clothesline art show a few weeks ago, I passed Craft Company No. 6 on the left, Studio 34 on the right, lots of outdoor artwork and sculptures. It's the artsy side of Rochester. Then I saw a sign on a building, "Lofts for Lease", and thought if I was 20 and single, I'd really consider renting a loft down there. Wouldn't that be cool? Kind of surprised me, since I'm such a country, wide open spaces kind of gal. I belive there's an upcoming tour of city lofts - if it's not over - Gretchen, want to go?

People at work ask me, from time to time, if I have any cards with me that they can buy. I've had a ridiculously pathetic stash kept at work. Until now. I finally made good on my intention to keep a decent selection at work - I set this up on a shelf behind my desk today. That box holds about 25 cards, no two alike, packaged in a cello sleeve, priced to include sales tax. Most people at work know I make cards and I told my two best customers about this new set up and they'll spread the word. I'm sensitive about being too self-promoting when I'm being paid to work for someone else!

I think I've posted a picture of this before, back when our office was painted months ago. This is the bank of filing cabinets near my desk. Steve sent me that plant for some occasion a few years ago. Mom, that's the fountain you gave me that you weren't using anymore. That's the Gerbera Daisy print I bought from posters.com and framed. There's a dish of Hershey's kisses there too, barely visible. It's only a little tempting. I mean they aren't dark chocolate and Hershey's is not my favorite chocolate. Thank goodness.

I have several orders to fill for boxes of assorted cards, which I've decided to sell in sets of 8 for $21.00. (Not on the website yet, just thought this up tonight.) For that price per card, the cards will be on the simple side, nothing overly labor intensive. This is my prototype for this style that I made tonight - my first attempt at a double layer of thread on a Spirella shape. At first I used varigated thread on both layers but it was darn near impossible to keep track of where the thread goes next. So I made this one with a blue bottom layer and varigated thread on the top layer. It was easier to do but still not something you can whip up while watching TV, for instance! But they are very fun to make, so I'll be making lots more.

Life with Simon

Life with Simon just gets funner and funner.

I was awakened from my power nap on the couch tonight by a knock on the door. Steve looked through the peephole in the front door, "Hmmmm, what's this about?" Reggi was barking so I got up to get her and as I walked past the closed front door, I heard a man outside say to Steve, "Is Stefani Tadio here?" I walked outside to see a deputy sherrif talking to Steve.

Simon had just left for the mall - and en route, someone called the cops because they thought there might be someone inside Simon's trunk, pounding to get out. It's his freaking gigantic bass sub-woofer thingamabob, obviously, which announces his arrival about 10 minutes before he gets there. The deputy asked me to call Simon so he could talk to him, so I did - and he did. The deputy was very nice about it.

I thanked the deputy for his time and said, "I guess it's nice that a citizen took the time to call that in." He indicated it was more likely someone was pissed off about the noise but figured the police wouldn't do anything about the noise so they'd report it as a possible person trapped in the trunk. Or that it was two people arguing about what was causing the sound. The first scenario actually sounds more likely than someone really thinking there was someone trapped in the trunk.

Damn kids and their cool cars. Do not get me started.

I was so in the moment while it was happening, after having just woken up, that I didn't have time to think until afterwards. Then I thought, in this order:

1. Wow - great journal fodder.

2. If I'd been more awake and saw a deputy in the driveway and Simon not home, I might have freaked out and thought something happened to Simon while driving. I'm glad I didn't have the presence of mind to think about that. That kid may be annoying as heck sometimes, but life would not be worth living if he wasn't in my life - you know?

Edited to add: Simon just called from Abercrombie - he's working for a couple more hours tonight. I told him the bit about what I would have thought, had I been fully awake, and saw a sherrif in our driveway and he wasn't home - and told him to never put me through that. To think about that if he ever finds himself about to do something stupid - of what putting me through that would really mean. I added a quivering voice for affect (not much of a stretch, if you know me at all). He understood, agreed and apologized.

~ ~ ~

Today was our Mom's Excellent Adventure - where Gretchen and I spend the day with Mom for her birthday. Her birthday is August 19th but we had other family things going on in August (Nick was home on leave and our dad's brother and his wife were visiting) so we scheduled it for today. We spent the day in lovely Canandaigua, a city about 30 minutes from here, on Lake Canandaigua - having lunch and exploring little shops. The weather was gorgeous - low 70's and sunny - just perfect. We ended it with ice cream, as is our tradition. Lots of fun!

Happy birthday, Mom! Hope you've recovered - Gretchen was right, even I felt a little nappish after our fun today.

~ ~ ~

I made a whole slew of Halloween cards using my new pumpkin die. Mom and Gretchen and I dropped them off at Artisan's Alley on our way to Canandaigua today. The store looks so nice! Pam has such a flair for display - that's the first thing people that I take there mention. She said she sold one of my cards just yesterday. She told me last week she sold one of the suncatchers, which I was happy to hear. She has them displayed in a interior window, which is perfect. They look nice but they aren't in the big front window where they would fade too quickly.

I'm going to work on the October PTD newsletter now, then make more Christmas cards. I was reading on my Professional Greeting Cards email list that the rule of thumb is to work on cards 9 months in advance of a particular holiday and contact stores about buying them 6 months in advance. I'll keep that in mind when I hit the big-time but for now I'm pleased to have a line of autumn/Halloween cards finished in September.

Happy Fall

The mini hub I ordered online arrived yesterday, which means I can plug my multi-function printer/scanner/copier/fax machine into the USB connection on my laptop. I can print just fine (except for tha damn magenta problem I've yet to clear up) but I can't scan because I need the software CD which presumably came with the printer but I can't find it. I've looked in the usual places in my office and in Steve's and it's not there. That's highly unusual - we're both pretty darn organized. So this weekend I'll look harder - and then figure something else out if I have to. I cannot be without my scanner!

That was my long explanation for why I photographed the above card instead of scanning it. It's for a friend at work who has been having a rough time the last couple of days. I also baked some brownies for one of the IT guys who dropped what they were doing to help me out today. It's nice to be nice to the nice. (Anyone know what TV show that is from?)

~ ~ ~

I enjoyed this.

Ferns Galore!

I made these cards on Sunday, using my new fern stamp I bought a few weeks ago. As I mentioned before, my new production plan is to make 10 cards at a shot, variations on a theme, but each one unique. I used one of those Mat Stacks for the co-ordinating paper. I bought this one with the intention of doing something quilty with it. I'm very happy with these cards though. Best laid plans and all that.

Speaking of paper, Kathy turned me on to Memory Box Company. Look at their wonderful paper - and very cool stamps! I've applied to purchase wholesale through them - hope it goes through and hope their minimum order isn't ridiculous. I can't wait!

And - please notice my new Flickr badge over in the sidebar. I'm about to upgrade my account and really get serious with my Flickrness.

First Halloween Cards

Just a quickie - wanted to try out my new pumpkin die cut. I like it okay - need to come up with a new background. Love the swirls but don't want todo them to death. Like I said, this was a quickie - want to mail it today.

This is gift enclosure about 2-1/2" square. This is part of my new marketing strategy, which I thought of long ago but haven't implemented until now - that every piece of correspondence that leaves my personal or Pine Tree Designs desk should include a card of some sort. I should be showering the world with free samples so they'll realize how much fun it is to snail mail little pieces of art - and buy from me! At the very least, maybe I can brighten someone's life just a bit. This one is going to my dentist, with a check and an apology for not paying the bill sooner - I must have misplaced it, though I obviously didn't intend and don't remember doing that. They are very nice people there so I feel good about sending this on a personal level too.

The one at the top is going to my credit union with a deposit enclosed. I've decided it's more fiscally responsible and less time consuming to send the little gift enclosures, rather than a full sized card so I'll try that for a while. I'll make a bunch up at a time - trying to keep them seasonal.

Quentin & Quilts

This is a quickie little card I threw together tonight to send to a friend. The lone star quilt is on the inside of the card, peaking through the framed square hole on the front of the card.

~ ~ ~

Steve and I are going to start watching Season 3 (I think) of Six Feet Under tonight - on DVD from Netflix, of course. I've been so stressed this week (work related, nothing serious) that I'm actually hoping I can squeeze a little cry in somewhere in this episode. The odds are good! I don't feel like I need a cry, I just know that's one of my best release mechanisms.

We just finished watching Reservoir Dogs. I don't get what's so great about Quentin Tarentino. We watched Pulp Fiction last year because I'd heard so much about it. Kinda liked it. Then we decided to watch Kill Bill. I barely remember it - and honestly can't remember if we watched Kill Bill 2. I think we did, but it was even worse. But in listening to the commentary that went with Kill Bill, Quentin said that everyone thinks that Reservoir Dogs is one of the most violent films ever - but in truth, most of the violence takes place off screen. So again, I was curious. Just like with the Kill Bills, I can never forget I'm watching a Quentin Tarantino film - the whole time. Because they are so not my kind of movie, meaning I can't get lost in the characters lives, I'm very in the moment, "This is me watching a Quentin Tarantino movie." It's like I'm studying it. Anyway, I think this was my last one - been there, done that.

Before this, we watched Be Cool, Simon owns it. We watched it while we were eating dinner over several nights and I swear it felt like it went on for two weeks. Love John Travolta, love Uma Thurman. But oy, did it drag. The best part was the Aerosmith concert part, which I watched twice. Loves me some Steven Tyler.

I think in between Be Cool and Reservoir Dogs we watched Fargo. Loved it!

But alas, I'll be glad to get back to my HBO shows. We watched the very beginning of the Six Feet Under DVD this evening during dinner - a collage of scenes from various HBO serial programs - my Sopranos! I miss them too! Larry David? No thanks. Found him as boring as I did Seinfeld for the most part.

Enough out of me - back to cleaning up email before it's showtime in 30 minutes.

Bush on Vacation

And the Democrats think Bush is insensitive to the disaster in New Orleans, how do they get these opinions?

Weekend Catch-Up

Let's see if I remember how to post an entry.

Friday night I met my high school friends Betsy and Linda and we drove to Lynn's house in Batavia, for dinner. We all brought a little something and it was a lot of fun. Remember how I said some time ago that I no longer think of them as high school friends but just friends? I realized Friday night that I now think of them by their married names, instead of their maiden names. Actually 4 of the 5 of us are widowed or divorced and still go by our married names.

I worked at the Clothesline, which is Rochester's oldest and largest art festival - for my friend, MJ, the glass painter. It had over 600 vendors - it's big!

It's a juried show and her first year as an exhibitor. I know she was pleased with her sales even though it was said that attendance was down from last year. Weird how things work. The weather was picture perfect. Maybe it's the overall economy?

We were both pleased her booth was in the shade! Here's what my two days looked like, from "backstage".

It's not particularly tiring work, just a long day. After dinner Steve worked in his new office (Lizz's old room, yeah, it's reeaallly orange - more pictures in the future) so I read the paper until I couldn't keep my eyes open. I tried to sleep but couldn't, for some reason, so I worked on my laptop until again, I could not keep my eyes open. That time I was able to sleep for about an hour with my faithful friend Reggi. I sort of got a second wind after that but still went to bed early since I had to get up and do it all over again the next day.

I bought 3 things but can only show you one (later this week) because the other two are Christmas gifts. Both days I did a bit of speed shopping - mainly walking down the center of each aisle, trying to take in everything from both sides. I did this because I didn't want to be away from MJ's booth very long and I really didn't want to spend any or much money. I found myself wishing I had a bottomless box of money to buy all the cool art I wanted, and the ability to work from home every day (on PTD stuff) - to enjoy my newly purchased art. There was definitely some wonderful art to be seen. I've really been taken with glass work lately, having seen a bunch of "regular people" doing variations of it on Crafters Coast to Coast.

I took Monday off so I'd have some time to do some Stefani and Pine Tree Designs work. Naturally, I didn't get as much done as I would have liked but I did make a bunch of these snowflake/holiday cards. Each snowflake is 8 pieces of a diecut glued together and foam taped to the card. The background on three out of four of those cards is stamped with Versamark ink and clear embossed. I like the bright blue cards best. I have about 6 more snowflakes to make into cards.

I ran some errands, among which was going back to the photography studio with Simon to see the proofs of his senior pictures. I'm such a sap, I had a lump in my throat by the second picture! They are just gorgeous! For those who haven't done this, they show you the proofs in a slide show format with music. (Then they give you a booklet of printed photos to take home and decide how much you are willing to spend - damn, these things are unbelievably expensive. I knew that going in, but damn. What a cornered market they have.)

I then sobbed my way through Dr. Phil, Rescuing the Rescuers. It's just unbelievable the stress these workers are under, what they have to do, what they have to witness. Dr. Phil was excellent, as always, giving good advice, appreciating what these people are enduring.

My cousin Scott is down there helping now. Please keep a good thought for him.

This is a pin I made a few days ago. A woman I went to high school with, who is on my PTD mailing list asked me how big the suncatchers were, could they be worn as a pin? So I made this smaller version - this is about 2-1/2" in diameter. You can see a wee bit of the foam tape between the two outer layers. Next time I'll just glue them together, no need for the foam tape really. But this was a prototype so it's where I figure these things out. I wore it all day Saturday and it held up beautifully, considering how dimensional it is. Didn't even get squooshed by the shoulder strap of my seat belt.

I need to go shower and get ready for work. I tried to post this entry last night but Blogger seemed to be having difficulty uploading photographs so I got frustrated and went to bed.

All About the Clay

I have had a minor fascination with polymer clay for a few years. I have a bunch of colors of clay and tools I've bought over the years, played around with a little. Ever since I started messing around with it again to make the middle dangly thing for the Suncatchers, my fascination has jumped to the front burner. I don't really want another hobby, I don't want to make figures. I just want to learn to do what I want to use it for, better. I bought Polymer Cafe the other day - thinking about subscribing. Fifteen bucks for 4 issues. The articles, questions, projects, seem like what I'm interested in.

I am absolutely mesmerized by working with the clay, the little I've done. I could condition/knead that stuff until my hands fall off. It's so amazing that you can combine as many colors as you want and with enough kneading, it 100% perfectly becomes a new color. When I swirl two colors together and put it through the pasta machine, it's better than dark chocolate. Oh wait. Never mind. But I almost can't stop doing it, watching a new design pop up each time.

I made my first cane last night. It was crap so I squished it up. It was pretty small so the detail was lost. I read today that after making a cane, one should let it sit for 15-30 minutes to let the clay harden up again a bit, before attempting to slice it. When you are done making the cane, it's still warm and soft from being worked with your hands. I tried to slice my cane last night and it squooshed. Too soft. I'm learning already!


Aren't these beautiful?? These hearts are made with transluscent chrysanthemum canes, which I learned to make here.

And I'm learning stuff from the lovely and talented Heather Powers. I can't remember how I stumbled upon her site. I think I can learn stuff from her as an artist and a business owner. Check out her beautiful Monet beads. And she's going to be on HGTV's Crafters Coast to Coast! One of my very favorite shows!

Lastly, if you read the comments on this post you'll see that I inquired if that pendant is for sale. It is. I bought it. Should be here tomorrow. I'm so excited!

A) I bought a piece of jewelry for myself.
B) It contains a beautiful polymer clay bead.
C) It was created by an independent artist, who is a very nice person, to boot.

I swear that's my last impulse buy for a good long time. First the laptop, then the Dyson, now this necklace. I think aliens have invaded my body. But boy, am I happy.

Cardmaking

I had a gall bladder episode last night. That really pisses me off because it was self-induced, of course, though unintentially, obviously. I bought some "sandwich spread" at the deli yesterday and ate too much with crackers, I guess. Lord knows what the heck is in that stuff. It's only the second time I've bought it. Never again. I hate not being able to sleep and I hate losing time the next day, either trying to catch up on sleep or just not feeling 100%.

I made a bunch of cards last night and finished today. At least one of each is to fill an order, so I made 6 of three designs, the extras to sell at Artisan's Alley as well as at MJ's craft show in October. I've probably mentioned, at her show, I'll use my big 4 sided card rack. I want one side to be all occasion cards and the rest holiday cards. Here are close-ups of the cards I made. You've seen them, or slight variations, on the Pine Tree Designs website.








I also stained over half of the hot tub surround today when I finally got moving. The rest I'll have to finish with a long brush because it's too close to the deck railing for me to reach it except through the railing. Should be interesting. I was planning on rigging up something like duct taping the brush to a dowel or something. Gretchen told me tonight there is actually a tool you can buy where the brush screws into the long handle. Think I'll try my freebie version first, then buy the tool if that doesn't work.

I'm off to bed. I meant to go to bed at 8:00, in an effort to straighten out my sleep from last night. (I was up, unable to sleep from 1:00 am - 5:30 am. I dozed a little bit off and on after that.)

Wish I had more days off. Wish I was retired, is what I really wish.

I won't be so crabby tomorrow, I promise. I should feel 100% like myself by then.

Spirella & Flowers

This is a thank you card I made a few nights ago for 4 of us co-workers to sign and send to our friend who retired last year. She had us over for lunch last Friday - once again, we always leave her, feeling insanely jealous. It was the first time 3 of us had been in her house so it was cool seeing all the things we've heard her talk about for years. They did some major renovations in this house, which we remember hearing about. Her husband has this amazing wood shop in their barn. It was the one time I wish I had a camera phone - it was all so orderly and organized, I was beside myself. Tools hung neatly on pegboards. He must have 25-30 hammers - it blew me away! Shelves of glue bottles and paint, enough to stock a small store. A whole shelf of little drawers, some labeled, some not. Seriously, if I'm ever invited back, I'm taking my camera.

This is a wedding card I made for an order - but now I'm going to make 10 more to sell. Those are tiny white seed beads in the flowers. From my 60's stash. Seriously.