Quote This

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The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks

This website cracked me up. I found it through one of Mary's readers.

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Lots of Stitching

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Finally, I'll have some new framed art for my next show. I put together ten 5" x 5" frames yesterday and filled six of them last night. Most of them are heavily stitched pieces like this, on a black background, allowing the stitching to speak for itself.

Speaking of shows, I received notification on Friday that I've been accepted into the School 46 show. I've worked this show with MJ and it comes highly recommended by several vendors I know.

Saturday, December 1, 9:00-4:00
School #46 Holiday Bazaar
Between Blossom and Browncroft.
250 Newcastle Road, Rochester, NY

And here's this week's show:

Thursday, November 1, 10:00-7:00
Casa Larga Winery Craft Show
2887 Turk Hill Road, Fairport, NY

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With Beads

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Following up yesterday's mention of The Bully. My boss made me reply so I sucked it up like a good little employee and did just that. Didn't make a face or nuthin'.

I'm chalking some of the recent ickiness to hormonal over-reaction. This too shall pass. I know this stuff kind of feeds off itself but enough of us at work are experiencing ickiness that we're chalking that up to last night's full moon. As I said to some of my co-workers upon leaving last night, "I feel like I say this far too often, but . . . next week is a brand new week." Rah, rah.

And I finally found the words to describe how I've been feeling. They came when I was crying on Steve's shoulder last night, literally. When he and I got together 14 years ago, I think he was a little uncomfortable with my crying. Now he understands, we even joke about it, that I just need to do this, get this out of my system and move on. Explanation? Check. Crying? Check? What's for dinner? Check. Works every time.

I knew this time of year with the busy-ness of the craft shows would make me a little crazy, but that's what I want - that busy-ness. What I didn't expect, and don't ask me why not, was how that would affect my day job. I swear I don't feel unfocused at work. I don't sit and daydream about paper shapes and colors. I feel in the moment at work. But if I step back from my situation, I would have to assess logically that I'm not 100% focused at work. My attention to detail is not what it was. I'll cut myself a little slack - every employee there is over-extended so some sliding of details is acceptable, in a way.

I heartily admit that my head is in the future, wondering what my life will be like when my career and my passion are one and the same. That fact alone would conceivably take my edge away. As I told Steve, I'm not used to not being a really good employee. I've been adequate, I suppose, lately, but that's not enough in my book.

So I'll give myself another little pep talk and get moving.

And Steve offered to help me with a Capacity Plan, so I can see what exactly it would take from Pine Tree Designs to be able to support me in the style to which I've become accustomed. That's stuff he does at his job all the time so I told him that would be great. I was hoping to get through this show season first since it would give me lots more data about doing more shows and bigger shows.

That is the other thing I've been worried about. That Pine Tree Designs will never support me in the style to which I've become accustomed. But I can definitely see myself working a part-time job from home, in addition to Pine Tree Designs. I just don't see the company I work for now ever allowing me to do that. Heck, my boss won't even let me go back to my original hours, before I became a supervisor, of 7:00-4:00, instead of my current 8:00-5:00. He has let others do it, in another admin department - but he has his reasons so I accept it. This is too small an issue to fret over - pick your battles, as you know.

Hey, thanks for the therapy. How much do you people charge per hour anyway??

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Killing Me Loudly

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Life's too short. This day job is killing me. I spent way too much time this week trying to find a different spot for an employee to sit, to give her more room and the ability to turn on a space heater without blowing a circuit breaker. You would not believe the hoops I had to jump through. I found two solutions, both of which were ultimately shot down. During one conversation with a non-decision-maker I wanted to say, "There's no logic in your statements. Do you honestly, in your heart, believe what you're saying or are you saying it because you think you're supposed to? Are you playing devil's advocate, perhaps?"

It boiled down to the fact that the CEO has final say and no one was willing to ask him. (Yes, I absolutely would have asked him myself but by the time it became clear to me that he needed to be asked, I was told not to.) Why he cares about such mundane matters is beyond me in the first place.

Remember the bully I've mentioned in the past? I frequently check my work email from home for various reasons. I have to do one extra click to see the folder into which I have his mail directed so I practically never click that because I know whatever he writes is bound to upset me. Stupid me. This morning I clicked the folder. I read the email. Delete! I'll not respond to such snottiness. He will never get it, in gazillion years, that there are ways to make the same point, in a way that's 10 times nicer and actually gets better results. He's a pig.

I have to go make some art now and cleanse my mind of bullshit.

TGIF, baby!

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New Pattern

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I love this new pattern and I love, love, love almost any of my threads on black. I also love the double row of threads on the spirelli part. I'm thinking maybe I'll make a whole separate display of these in various colors at the next craft show.

I'm feeling a little torn this week. I've found myself with so many new projects at work, most self-inflicted, that normally this is the time I would go in a couple of hours early for a few days to get a jump on things. I actually took Monday off without pay because I've allocated the rest of my vacation days for the year to the upcoming craft shows so I could use the extra time to make that up. But clearly the best decision is to use my early morning hours preparing for the craft shows. That's my passion and my goal. These shows are finite things that will be gone for another year. The work at my day job will still be there fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it). All this boils down to feeling pretty motivated so I guess the answer is to work as hard as I can at whatever I do.

Enough chit-chat, I have Sticky Notes to assemble!

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Lotsa Pink

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New Shelf

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I kill me. Clutter drives me crazy, yet my studio is always cluttered. I like to say that's because I literally spend hours each day in here working. My actual work surface is what really gets me though. I continue to pile things around me as I use them so my actual working space ends up being about an 8" square. It's ridiculous and very frustrating. I finally decided no more and figured out what to do about it. And I did it. I really hated to put anything in front of the window that obstructs my view, but this was so worth it. (I never noticed those finger prints until I took the picture. Must clean.)

It's been life changing!

I assembled over 50 Sticky Notes this weekend. That includes Monday, which I took off from work. I worked from literally 4:30 AM to 7:30 PM, taking breaks to eat, read the paper and do a load of laundry. I was beat, but in a good productive way.

Just out of range of this photo remains a mess, but that's next. I tell myself I don't have time to organize but obviously it's better in the long run. I must remember that.

I find that when my studio is the most chaotic, it puts me more in the control freak, decluttering mood elsewhere in the house. I rearranged the pantry the other day and put the less used appliances on a shelf, whereas they had been on the pantry floor. Steve noticed and teased me about it. He has this thing where he wants every appliance out and on the counter, lined up like little soldiers parading about. I like clean counters. I asked him when exactly was the last time he used the blender or bread machine. He said it didn't matter if he only uses them once a year, if there's space available, he likes them out, ready to use. Thankfully he doesn't really care that much and I care about clean counters a LOT, so we go with my way there.

Actually we go with my way in most areas of the house. As it should be. :-)

~ ~ ~

I worked at MJ's show Saturday morning. It was rather slowish, but I made some decent sales, even besides Mom. :-) MJ said Thursday was phenomenal, Friday was slow and I know she was wishing for more traffic on Saturday. She hasn't told me my final total yet, which I'm quite curious about. The next show is November 1 at Casa Larga. Meanwhile I remain in overdrive to get as much made as humanly possible - the biggest show and longest shows are in November. It will be my craziest month ever and I'm trying to plan for some spontaneous freaking out because I know it will happen.

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Crisis Averted

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Click to enlarge - check out the criss-cross texture on the yellow background paper. That's a new texture for me in my last order from Bazzill Paper, I love it.

~ ~ ~

Stefani, in an email to Steve yesterday afternoon:

Subject: Crisis Averted

Simon was talking about moving back home!

I gave him a big box of money.

I think I bought us a little more time in our peaceful kingdom.

Actually, I bought him some groceries. Sound familiar?? (Steve bought his daughter groceries very recently.)


Steve's reply:

Absolutely!

I wonder what our ceiling is in terms of bribing our kids to not move back home?

~ ~ ~

Simon gets paid every 2 weeks. He's been in the apartment almost 1 month, 2 pay cycles, and is feeling the pinch. We talked for 30 minutes or more on the phone during my lunch hour about his options. I gave him lots of ideas. I could tell he was getting overwhelmed so I said, "I've just thrown a lot of ideas at you. Let them percolate in your brain for a while and the right one for you will emerge."

I'm linked to his checking account online so I can see what he's using his debit card for. He's really not blowing it badly, he's just not used to watching every penny. He'll get there.

He called me back about an hour later, "Hey Mom? You know what was really bugging me about the money thing today? I figured it out. It's because I knew I couldn't buy the winter jacket I wanted." He said it very calmly, almost relieved. I love when that happens, you dig down to the root of a problem. Usually turns out to be not that much of a problem, once you identify it. I was really proud (and surprised!) that he was able to figure that out. Guess he's watched me do it often enough. Go figure.

~ ~ ~

Last day for this show! I'm working there 9:00-1:00. Stop by!

Oct 18, 9:00-6:00

Oct 19, 20, 9:00-4:00

MJ Inspirations 4th Annual Home Craft Sale

342 Pannell Road, Fairport, NY 14450

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Tiny Spirelli

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3" x 3"
(click to enlarge)

One of my most favorite things to do is find new ways to use punches I own. Check out that center! That is the one and only Martha punch that I own. I bought it because I loved it but also because I was curious about the quality. I've been known to wear punches out. This one really is quite sturdy. Leave it to Martha. Anyway. Tonight I turned it into a little spirelli piece. Look how tiny it is and how close the threads are! Wow - I'll be making a lot more of those.

~ ~ ~

I mentioned in the last entry that work has been sucky. This week has been one thing after another that I've done wrong. I can kinda sort justify each thing in my mind that these problems were either not totally my fault, or they are just mistakes. Shit happens. It doesn't mean I'm stupid. But I've been feeling quite stupid.

Then I opened today's Urban Word of the Day. You know I first read that as Stefani, in the example! I literally did a double take.

Urban Word of the Day
www.urbandictionary.com

October 18, 2007: jackass of all trades

A person who is exceptionally bad at everything.

Stefan is a dork. Give him anything to do and he'll screw it up. Jackass of all trades.

I probably would have burst into tears but I'd already gotten that out of the way first thing in the morning. I felt it coming on, went into the ladies room, then retreated to my friend Jen's office because she has a private office with a door. I told her I needed to hide out for a minute. We talked. I felt better.

I moved my massage appointment up by an hour just so I could get out of there. I took my new Bruce Springsteen CD in to play during my massage. I wasn't sure how that would work out but I thought it might be comforting to have my friend sing to me while I relaxed. It totally worked! That CD is absolutely fantastic. I've listened to it enough so that it's familiar but not so much that I'm bored with it. Even the upbeat tunes were fine for a massage. I wouldn't want it all the time, but today was good. Next week, I'm sure I'll go back to the generic "massage music" that Mary has in the CD player.

~ ~ ~

I feel pretty normal tonight, back in balance, for which I'm relieved. I felt totally PMSy today, not something I'm used to anymore and I hated it. I gave myself a big fat pep talk on the drive home about getting my head back in the game at work. I don't feel like I'm unfocused but I'm sure I must be. I'm very aware that I am in the early middle of the craft show time of the year - what I've been working towards all year.

I think about how much I want to do this full-time but that's years away. If I'm working this hard now and continue to be more and more successful - how will I be able to keep doing both jobs well? How will I know when the right time is to jump ship on the day job and just do this? I listen to and read interviews with other artists. I read financial information. I plot and plan. That is what I think about ALL the time. That is why I'm not 100% focused at work, I think, because I don't want to be there. I want to be here in my studio, building my business.

I've mentioned this to a few people but I can't remember if I've posted about this before. Forgive me if I'm repeating myself. About 6 months ago I read an article by an entrepreneur who got me thinking about the day job in a new light. I had been resenting it, but this person was saying hang on to the day job as long as possible. That is what is giving me the freedom to work on building Pine Tree Designs. That's the word he or she used: freedom. That totally turned my thinking around.

I'm obviously struggling with that notion a bit right now, but I do believe it. I just need to remind myself of that mind set.

Oct 18, 9:00-6:00

Oct 19, 20, 9:00-4:00

MJ Inspirations 4th Annual Home Craft Sale

342 Pannell Road, Fairport, NY 14450

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Beads

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Yesterday I decided to take next Monday off from work in order to get a lot of Pine Tree Designs work done. I thought I was being all pro-active & stuff - planning the day off before the busiest weeks of the craft show season arrive. Good thing, because this morning, the stress has set in, in earnest.

You know the drill, it's a combination of the day job (too much work, including a couple of big projects looming), home, Pine Tree Designs. Each one by itself, no big deal - but put them all together and ouch. Oh cool! I just checked the calendar and I think it's safe to throw a little hormonal stuff in there too. Why not??

The cure? A massage after work today. Taking Monday off. And nose to the grindstone.

See? It's easy! Not to worry.

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Rosie

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Rosie's new book, Celebrity Detox arrived from Amazon on Friday. I read it that night. In one sitting. Granted, it's only 209 pages. Loved it. Made me cry.

I know she's not for everyone but that's okay. I'm firmly in the love Rosie O'Donnell camp - I find her fascinating. She's hilarious. She's artistic. I watched The View the months she was on, not before and not since. I've been addicted to her blog long before The View. I used to watch her old show. She's one of my Tivo Wish List people.

The weird thing about reading her book Friday night was that when I came home from work that day, I immediately lay down on the couch, I was incredibly sleepy, which is extremely unusual for me. I sorta kinda took a 20 minute power nap but you know how it goes, Reggi wants to go out, come in, the phone rings. I wasn't sure I felt much better afterwards. I was really hoping for a second wind.

After dinner, while Steve watched baseball, I picked up the book to read the back cover and inside flaps. I never stopped reading. We eventually went to bed and I finished it there. Me, who usually can't read more than 4 paragraphs in bed without falling asleep.

Guess I got that second wind after all.

(Mom, I'll drop the book off next time I'm over that way.)

Oct 18, 9:00-6:00

Oct 19, 20, 9:00-4:00

MJ Inspirations 4th Annual Home Craft Sale

342 Pannell Road, Fairport, NY 14450

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Office Snapshots

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Office Snapshots is a website filled with just that, photos of offices of companies, mostly tech companies. Some you've heard of: Google, eBay, Craigslist, Flickr (above). This fits in nicely with my fascination with biographies and autobiographies - how people live.

I work in an oddly shaped building. It's fairly old but was very cutting edge for back in the day. The window offices now hold 1 or 2 people. I work in a very large office with 2 of us - used to be 5 in there at one point. Being a computer company, we were at our peek employee-wise in 1998 and 1999, before Y2K.

The interior offices, of which there are just a few now, are your typical cube farm. So I was interested to see that these modern companies shown on Office Snapshots, still use cubicles. I don't know what I expected - something new and innovative, I guess. Though typically, it seems the walls are all low, whereas ours are highish walls. I wish we'd get rid of some of the empty cubes and open up the space, but that's just me.

~ ~ ~

I worked my October shift at Enchanted Rose Garden on Saturday. I met a new vendor, Lisa, a jewelry artist. She worked half the day, then I worked with Eileen the owner, the rest of the day. We were fairly busy so the day went faster than previous days there, I thought. I still managed to get some stitching in, during the slow times. The thing that amazes me about that store is that in the 3 days I've worked there, there is rarely a time there isn't a customer in the store. It's a nice steady flow.

And each check is higher than the previous, so I'm definitely trending in the right direction, as they say. Checks are cut twice/month and my last check covered my rent. I've covered my rent in sales both months I've been there, but it's nice to do it in one check, not two. MJ was right, this is a good store - I think things will only get better.

I took my Halloween pins in and Eileen and Lisa both loved them and each bought one. So we all wore them Saturday. I was going to put them in my booth, but Eileen put them in the Halloween/Fall section, which was terrific. I sold one Saturday to a customer too. So I've been making more to have at the show at MJ's house this week.

Oct 18, 9:00-6:00

Oct 19, 20, 9:00-4:00

MJ Inspirations 4th Annual Home Craft Sale

342 Pannell Road, Fairport, NY 14450

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Blue Green

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I stitched this with 2 strands of thread, one blue variegated and one green variegated. I love the look so I didn't embellish it at all, just let the thread speak for itself.


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Black Cats & Bruce

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Every year Helen has me make her a dozen Halloween cards, honoring her 3 cats is a must. The cats and tree are punched from that foam paper so they are dimensional and a bit fuzzy. I'm still not sure if something should go in that space between the 2 big squares on the left. It looks empty but anything I've tried makes it look cluttered. I like the clean lines and graphic-ness of this card.

I love the sound of Bruce in the morning!

My eagerly awaited new Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band CD, Magic, arrived from Amazon a couple of days ago. I'm only about half way through it but I love it.

I told Steve if I'd been in the right place at the right time, I would have been one of those girls on Ed Sullivan, screamin' and cryin' at The Beatles. What's wrong with me? I watched the 60 Minutes interview with Bruce and the band last Sunday and found myself ever so slightly teary eyed because I love them so much and they have brought me such joy over the last 32 years. (Really?? 32 years - yep, I looked it up. That's shocking to me. Heck, I don't even know how I got to be 51 years old. Too weird.)

The closest they will come to Rochester this tour is Albany, about 3 hours away. I have my biggest craft show at the museum the next day so it's not do-able anyway. But oddly, I don't have it in me to drive that far for a concert.

Speaking of being 51, from one of the articles in Money Magazine:

One thing's for sure: Boomers are still filled with the youthful optimism it takes to make those big dreams happen. More than 70% of the respondents in our survey said they feel younger than their age (close to half feel younger by 10 years or more), and nearly six out of 10 believe they're still in their prime.

~ ~ ~

Edited to add: I like the element of 3 repeated here in the tiny dots in that space between the 2 left squares. But I'll definitely try your idea, Ann. I couldn't get past the fact that I thought they needed to have the outside edges lined up in a perfect rectangle. Funny how you get something in your head and can't see the obvious. I'll post that one tomorrow. (Thanks!!)
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Halloween Pins

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Halloween Pins, $3.00 - made from cardstock, varigated thread and black foam paper.



Happy 51st Birthday to Steve!
(not that he reads this blog)
:-)

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Purple & Green

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I Stand Corrected

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I was only off 7% from last year's October sale at Casa Larga, not the 15% I reported yesterday. I had not added in my credit card sales yet. 7% ain't nothin'. I feel even better now. But oddly, it did feel like less traffic came through yesterday.

My new Halloween punches arrived Thursday. I also ordered a spider but that was going to be backordered until November so I told Cheryl at Scrappily Ever After to cancel that one. I've played around with these just a tiny bit, trying to get the scale right. I have a cat punch too that I use for Halloween - but the cat is the same size at the bat, which are both too big for tree. I know, I don't have to be so literal about it.

I owe Helen a bunch of Halloween cards and I'm also going to spend some time this week making pumpkin pins, which I mentioned sold well last Thursday - but also some pins using the above punches. I drove past Valentown Museum yesterday on my way to my massage and noticed the sandwich boards for their Spooktacular Hall, every Friday and Saturday in October. The gift shop manager told me she had been told that October is fairly busy there but I didn't realize there was an event every weekend. So I want to take a bunch of pins there to add to my Sticky Notes display. I think they might do well there this month. Won't know unless I try.

Now that I have one show behind me and have a decent bit of inventory, I feel like I can take a breath before digging in again. We took Reggi for a walk this morning. We went to the Veteran's Park in Penfield and accidentally found some trails through the woods. Reggi seems to be favoring her front left paw the tiniest bit so it wasn't a long walk and walking on the soft forest floor was probably better for her (and us!) than the paved sidewalk.

After breakfast I cut up a bunch of cardboard boxes that had been accumulating in the garage and vacuumed the house. It was extra icky from all the pine needles tracked in from Simon and his friends the weekend he moved. Steve had vacuumed a few weeks ago, but bless his heart, he really doesn't do a 100% job. Spoken like a true woman, yes? And I swear, even though I know he would deny this vehemently, that I get a tiny whiff from him that it's women's work and he doesn't want to do it. That's probably just some moronic guilt on my part. It's all so stupid. He asks in general how can he help during this busy season of mine. I eventually work up the courage (??) to ask him to do laundry or vacuum and if he's not jumping up and down with excitement, I take it as he's mad and doesn't want to do it. I'm such a do-do-bird sometimes. Bottom line is he does it and I need to just shut up about it and stop this silly fretting. Sheesh already.

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Casa Larga Recap

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Look what I bought yesterday! This pin is made of many layers of fabric stuck together, embellished with sparkle & beads. Some had some quilting on them too but this was perfect for me since I wear a lot of red and a lot of purple.

(Hey Ann - did you see the artist's name above?)

I used to have a strict policy of not buying anything at the craft shows I'm in because I wanted it to be an all money-in experience, not money-out. I even take my lunch so I don't spend money on lunch. But I've decided I also like to support my fellow artists so as long as I don't go nuts, buying something I love is a good thing.

I'm pooped. I've decided after the big show at the Rochester Museum & Science Center in November, which is Friday night, Saturday and Sunday - I'm going to take Monday morning off. I've slotted all the rest of my vacation days (and then some) for the rest of the year so I don't want to take the whole day off but to be able to sleep until I wake up Monday morning would be a very good thing. I think the fatigue is mental as well as physical.

Overall, yesterday's show was a bit slower than last year, by 15%, for me. I attribute that to two things. It was freakin' 80-something degrees yesterday I think - in October? in Rochester? So people were not in the holiday buying spirit yet. I also consider this a warm up to the major holiday shows, one of the first of the season maybe. Vendors mostly had fall/autumn/Halloween stuff, but still I heard very little talk from customers about Christmas, etc. This show is repeated November 1 and that will be more "holiday" related. We always sell more at the November show than the October show.

The other thing is the road the winery is on is being repaved. It's a very hilly road so the areas that are one way are very long. Meaning there's a really long wait but then lots of cars get to go at once, finally. Not conducive to craft shopping, I don't think. That project will be done in a few days so we won't have that problem again.

I don't think this had anything to do with slower sales but the room I was in did not have the air conditioning turned on. We didn't figure this out until 30 minutes before close. We all assumed it was broken or something until one of the vendors went over and checked the thermostat himself - and turned it on. I sat there in a state of one perpetual hot flash all freakin' day. During slow periods, I walked around the other rooms a couple of times, partly to cool off.

Some of the highlights:

Seeing fellow vendors I hadn't seen in months was fun. I feel a real part of the community. I love that.

Some of my regular customers stopped by, always cool.

A man and his wife stopped by - he's a rep for greeting card companies. He was amazed at my work and my prices. He was especially interested in the gift tags, which is a little item I whipped together a couple of days before a spring show. He said stores are always asking him for kid-related gift tags. We talked and brainstormed and it looks like we might be working together. He lives in Fairport too.

One woman told me I don't charge enough for my $4.00 Sticky Notes. I said, "Okay, for you, $6.00." She laughed and said, "Oooh - I meant for other people, not me!"

I was invited (as was every vendor there I think) to participate in a church craft show on December 1. I just received my application for another show on December 1, one that comes highly recommended, but if I don't get into that one, I'll do the church one.

I was also invited to participate in a fundraiser craft show for breast cancer research but it's a day I'm already doing another show. It's actually the weekend where I'm doing one show, Thurs-Sat and another one overlapping Fri-Sun so I really thought it best not to completely overextend myself. I asked her to put me on her mailing list though.

So while I'm a teeny bit disappointed in sales yesterday, the good news is I have good inventory left for future shows. I always prepare like I'm going to sell out of every single thing, which I guess is a good motivator to keep producing.

I'll post a picture soon, when I can find them again, of some pumpkin pins that I made last year. They sold so-so last year but were selling well yesterday. I was glad I had these leftovers available - and I'll definitely make more.

I've bored you enough. Off to my day job soon, where I can get some rest!

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Countdown to Casa Larga

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October 4, 10:00-7:00

Casa Larga Winery Craft Show

2887 Turk Hill Road, Fairport, NY 14450

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Blue Heart

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Simon told me I was going to cry when he moved out but I was confident I wouldn't. And I didn't. I secretly felt bad that I didn't - what kind of cold-hearted mother am I?

I was driving home from work yesterday feeling sad. I thought it was about a thing at work even though I told myself, "That's dumb, it's not personal. Snap out of it, you moron."

Then I thought about Simon and the tears came. That's it! It's about Simon.

Steve had his back to me when I walked in the house. He turned around to find me with outstretched arms, the universal symbol for I Need a Hug.

"Awww, what's the matter?"

Said like Laurie Petrie, "I-I-I miss Simon."

"I knew this would hit you sooner or later."

"Me too. I just didn't know when. It's now."

And then I was fine.

The end.

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Spinning

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Remember I said Friday morning how I was feeling tightly wound? Later that morning I realized what the perfect cure would be - an emergency massage! So I emailed Mary and she had a 5:00 appointment available. It was heaven.

I spent a few hours with Simon on Saturday - his new apartment is very nice. Nick was picking up his stuff that day but Simon had most of his there already because he had taken Friday off. I saw the living room and said, "This is such a typical bachelor furniture arrangement!" They have 2 love seats that came from my work, used to be in the lobby a while back - both are pulled right up to the coffee table in front of the TV, leaving half the room empty.

They both slept at their apartment Friday night, Simon had his bed there but Nick slept on the floor with a couch pillow and a blanket. When I talked to Simon Sunday, I asked him if it felt like the big push was getting the apartment and moving - and now, after 2 nights here, "Wow, I really live here!" He said it did.

We went to Linens & Things where I bought him a shower curtain and a curtain for his bedroom window. He was like a kid in a candy store - we had to circle around twice so he could absorb everything. "Simon, we're finally bonding over one of my favorite stores!"

He called me later to tell me that as he was walking up the sidewalk to his apartment, a guy stopped him and asked him if he was moving in. When Simon said yes, the guy said, "Great, I'm moving out - so maybe we can help each other out." He gave Simon a Surround Sound speaker system, a glass coffee table and 2 glass end tables. Everything works, Simon said. I'm looking forward to seeing the place again when he and Nick have their stuff all set up.

It doesn't quite feel like an empty nest around here yet. That's probably not helped by the amount of mess he left in the garage and his room. He's not done yet but he worked really hard for a couple of days so I gave him a break about cleaning up around here. It felt a little bit different grocery shopping for just Steve & me but I'm not sure why - Simon practically never ate here the past year or so.

Other than that, I worked like crazy on Pine Tree Designs stuff. I feel like I have enough cards made. Enough for now anyway. I'll only have 4 framed pieces at Thursday's show at Casa Larga because I've been concentrating on the things that sell the most - the Sticky Notes and cards. Now I'm in the mode where the more I get done, the more I think I can get done. So I'm making about 100 pins. I'll post them later.

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