A little of this, a little of that----

 

Now THIS is the way to a girl's heart to open a box that arrived in the mail to make ordering tools fun!  This was the first time I'd ordered from Wired Up, and it won't be the last!  Whenever I've ordered tools, they all come the same way, brown box filled with normal packing material and tools in some sort of packaging.  But I've never had them come in pretty organza bags before, plus they threw in a free gift just for ordering.  That's the kind of customer service that'll keep me coming back for more and will gladly spread the word.  I recently ordered Sharilyn Miller's DVD, Ethnic Style Jewelry Workshop and was once again totally wowed by the information given and will be spending hours with it, just like I did (and still am) with the first DVD I purchased from her, Tribal Treasures Bracelet Workshop.  So much so that I just ordered, and am patiently waiting for Bohemian Bangles Bracelet Workshop.  The great thing about her DVDs and her book, Bead on a Wire, is that the techniques shown can be used in a variety of ways and on many different jewelry pieces, information that you can take and make it your own, something that's very important to me.  After I finish up the necklaces I have started now, watch for some subtle (or maybe not so subtle) changes, it's time that I get adventurous, spread my wings and fly a bit.   

Speaking of flying, even though they seldom fly, we have never seen so many turkeys around as this year, they're everywhere.  These happened to be in the field that adjoins the clinic where I'm going to get blood drawn way too often.  You know you're going to the doctor's too often when they recognise the car turning into the parking lot, and have the paperwork ready when I walk in the door so that Sarah, the lab tech, can quick draw blood & send me on my way.  Last time I went the clotting factor was right on the money, now if it would only stay there.  It's been all over the place, way too high, then way too low, always managing to miss the mark.  Which means I have to still keep a low profile, continuing to follow their don't get excited, stay calm, don't go anywhere, don't raise your heart rate or blood pressure instructions, until they get it right.  It's so boring that my mojo took a hike and took every creative bone in my body with it!  But the good news is, my mojo is sneaking back in, and I can't tell you how relieved I am about that!  Listen closely, you'll hear a giant sigh of relief:)  To help get back into the swing of things, my friend Tammy gave me some good advice about sketching, which I'll share some of in the near future.  You can always count on Tammy for good, sound, no nonsense advice.  And if you're not reading her blog, you should be!  And speaking of blogs, head on over to the MMCA Marketplace blog and read the newest in a series of guest interviews, this one by Linda McCloskey, you won't want to miss it!  Here's a little tidbit from the interview that should get you running over there right now, seriously, right now!.  Linda says: "Never give up - never trust that inner self when it tells you that you don’t have talent - TALENT COMES FROM PRACTICE.   If you love art and involve art in your everyday life - talent will come" .  Those are some words to live by, and I just may write them on my studio wall!   There's still lots to tell, so for today that's it, stay tuned tomorrow for more, I'll get caught up here on my blogging yet, it just may take awhile!  In the meantime, it's still winter and the birds are still posing nicely for us outside our window-hope you're not sick of bird photos because there are plenty more where these came from:) 

Comments

[sarah]

hi sue--hope you are doing well. just wanted to let you know i sent you a refund for that little zine you ordered. turns out i lost the ones i had and haven't had time to make another. thanks for understanding! be well!

[tammy vitale]

There you are! Sounding great! good to hear that the blood thing is starting to behave. Perhaps it's like making beads - you can't hurry the bead/glass. You just have to work with it where it is at the moment.

Thanks for all the kind words you say about me here - I think you'll find the sketch idea very helpful - since you have to much time to sit, now is the perfect time to practice! =] Every cloud has its own silver lining.

Tried a big bead yesterday and failed miserably because I don't have a kiln. Sigh. I could have bought enough beads to make jewelry for the rest of my life if I hadn't spent so much money on this side tangent (Have I mentioned how addicted I'm getting to beads?!!!) But there's just something about making your own!

The torso class went beautifully - Once the torso's my folks made come out, I will post them. Either I'm a good teacher or I just had very talented attendees!

[Jen]

Oh living by those daily/weekly numbers. I remember it all too well. I hope they behave themselves asap! xoxo

And I haven't forgotten the interview ... I hope to get to it this, finally, a recovery week!

[Heather Bartlett]

I love that with the little organza bags! Little things do make a difference!

FYI - I am looking for artists who would post about the inspiring things around their studios. Please see my entry here: http://www.heatherbartlettart.com/2009/03/studio-inspiration/

I would love it if you would do a post about stuff that inspires you and post some studio photos to share and then link from the comment section of my website. I love to learn about the things that inspire other artists that they keep around them every day.

Thanks!