Wednesday, August 26, 2009

the mornings...

no photos today because what i want to capture is WAY too fast. the past few days, within moments of waking, there is a humming bird outside my window. it darts into the holly hocks, then darts off.
i wake at a different time every day, so this little guy must be visiting several times a morning. either that or he radios ahead to my brain to tell me to wake up.

i have been cleaning and organizing in my studio, into giant cabinets with many shelves that hold smaller boxes that once held computer keyboards, that my mom hoarded from the old school remodel like 15 years ago. they used to be the kids' supply boxes for her class so i'm coming across some wicked graffiti. my first inclination was to cover the entire box with nice paper, but then i realized just the ends need to be pretty. when that gets done, i'll take a photo of that for y'all.


time to make the donuts.......

Sunday, August 23, 2009

flowers, 'chuters, and more.

well that meeting with the beeb buyers went splendidly, they placed a MASSIVE holiday order due in the middle of september. their halloween order has already been delivered, and they asked for MORE. my friend Sarah has been helping me with the cutting out of the animals and organizing of the studio, and taking long field trips to visit fun destinations around the cities. i am so thankful to be busy with work that i LOVE it's been an adventure, to be sure.

did wedding flowers for another pair of former students and had a blast, but i am going to probably need 2 more days to recover. the wedding was held at an amazing house on a beautiful lake, but that was eclipsed by the happiness the couple radiated, magnified by their friends and families. each wedding i go to seems to get sweeter, how is that possible?

i also recently finished a group my friend Colleen commissioned of 6 parachuting mice, to be sent to friends all over the place that have had little kiddos. here they are, hanging from the birch tree outside the studio. i am refining the pattern even more, and hope to propose a show at my former college where i'd hang like 300 of them in the gallery, with some owls and other flying creatures interspersed.

Monday, August 03, 2009

tough times...

a friend of mine recently suffered a great loss. i am so fortunate to have been able to spend time with her and her family, i am once again so thankful i don't have a job!

it has been hard to enjoy the beauty of the farm in the summer and sort of to enjoy life in general when i think about how much pain people around me are in, but i realize that life is for loving and if i didn't live it to its fullest, what good would that be?

i find myself listening more to the birds, staring more at the clouds, napping in the hammock, and enjoying the twinkling stars. i do find i'm spending less time on the computer and on the internet in general. back when i did have full-time jobs, they were mostly me plopped in front of a screen for 8 hours a day. it seems to be the reverse of that now!

i have greatly enjoyed sharing the bounty of the garden with my friends and family, and am LOVING finding ways to use beets, basil, parsley, green tomatoes, peas, carrots, and all sorts of delish produce. the 'brown thumb' that i thought i was cursed with, turns out to only regard houseplants. if they're in the ground, i seem to be able to care for them enough so that they flourish! nothing like rolling out of bed and picking some peas for breakfast. i'm already starting to plan for next year....

i was informed by the lovely folks at articulture that my first batch of animals sold out in about 6 days. so i brought in a bunch more stuff for them to show off, here are the non-wee bird animals in their little green suitcase.

tomorrow i have another meeting with the bibelot buyers, regarding holiday ornaments and Uglings. so it's been good to get back to working, but man i wish i had someone to clean up after me....my studio will never look as good as any of the ones in Where Women Create, but at least i can find things 99% of the time! now, to capture the tree frog that has gotten into the studio....