Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Photo Help



Ahhhhh! I cannot decide.
The brown background/the white background?
The white is a pain in the (beep) to adjust, but might get me into more treasuries. But no matter what I do, I cannot get it white-white anyway. Does the brown make my work stand out? Or is it too dark?
Please share your thoughts, and if you have time and are so inclined, please share YOUR photo set-up details - lightbox? natural light? camera?
I hate my photos!

The Danger of Watching Other People's Children

Sometimes, while walking and swaying with my cousin's daughter, trying to help her settle down for a nap, she fits so perfectly along my torso, her head tucked under my chin, her bottom resting on my forearm, her hand curled in my hair, I think, "Maybe one more...."

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Thing Two As He Pulled His Dessert out of a Quiznos Bag:

"Hello, cookie. I'm your Daddy."

Thanks Maia and Karen Beth

So, when I came home from vacation I discovered I had been nominated for two blog awards. When I shared this news with Geoff, his response was "What? You?" And when I told him one of them was the "Rockin' Girl Blogger" award, he just laughed and laughed.

Don't let this interaction fool you. He is a very loving and supportive guy. Really.

My pal Maia is responsible for the Rockin' award (I am pretty sure I was rockin' for at least a minute or two in 1991.) and I am thrilled to pass on to:

stilettoheights because, honestly, she really is rockin', even off-line. And her letters to celebrities are the sole reason I am excited to wake up on a Wednesday morning. (Okay, I love my kids, too. And coffee.)

zellmer because she refers to doing a great deal of rockin' pre-baby (and look at her picture - she's still rockin'), and her blog was the first Mommy blog I found that I enjoyed reading.

tracey because, well look at her playlist and try to argue with me. And because she writes a very engaging gardening blog that feels like it is about a lot more than gardening.

______

The other award was invented by Karen Beth of Zazazu. It is the "Uplift Award" and I am so touched that she mentioned me. I am not able to express how much it means to me that someone who reads my little ramblings finds them uplifting. I am also a little self-conscious, because she mentions my One Small Change series as a reason for the award, and I stole the idea from Gillian.

So naturally, I want to pass the Uplift Award along to

Gillian who inspired One Small Change and writes from Nottingham, England, which always gives me a little thrill. Her artwork is lovely, and it is wonderful to read about her process and the inspirations behind her work.

Eva whose blog is so lovely looking. When she is not writing about her beautifully embroidered animal creations, she posts thought-provoking and often spirit-lifting links, poems and quotes.

MissFickleMedia who has been so supportive of my work and my process. She is a kindred spirit and I always look forward to reading what she has to write about her kids. Also, I love watching her process as she develops new products and new looks for her popular pendants and gorgeous fine silver jewelry.

MsBelle because she is the kindest, most supportive blogger/seller out there. She is always the first person to comment on my new work, the first person to congratulate me on my successes, and I swear, she was even more excited about my front-page appearance than I was. It has been exciting to see her develop a signature look for her shop and even more exciting to see her work gain the attention it deserves.

Beck because she is the best writer in blogland and at least once a week she publishes a post that makes me think perhaps she is living in my head.

And finally, Karen Beth, can I pass the award back to you? Karen-Beth's blog is like a little yoga class for your brain. Amazing, serene photos and quotes that remind you to slow down, breathe deeply and appreciate all the beauty and goodness that surrounds us.

Thanks, friends.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Favorite Reading Spot


Favorite Reading Spot, originally uploaded by stephgibson23.

I'm back!
Vacations with the kids get easier every year. We read C.S. Lewis on the long drive out and J.K. Rowling on the long ride home. In between we ate a lot, read a lot, some of us went swimming, we all took long hikes around the lake. There was some marshmallow roasting, kayaking and a treasure hunt organized by Uncle Grant (Arrrrgh! Avast me Hearties!) Vacation perfection.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Summer Finally Caught Up With Me

Over the last two weeks, I have not read very many blogs and I have hardly commented on the ones I have read. I have only listed one new item on Etsy. I have not e-mailed people. I have only posted about things I felt I had an obligation to write.

So where have I been? What have I been doing?

overdue summer playdates with the kids friends
a trip to the northern woods of Pennsylvania
celebrating Thing Two's birthday
playing at the pool
planning and teaching jewelry making workshops at a day camp
reading Harry Potter
selling at Eastern Market
just to name a few of the activities that have been keeping me away from the computer.

What do you do with so many blog-worthy events, but no time to write about them? And I know I am missing great posts from you that I am never going to catch up with - it is strange to feel so disconnected.

And the next two weeks look just as crazy!

But I will be back in a couple weeks. I am looking forward to catching up with all of you.

Oh, and before I go, I have to thank Tamara of BlockPartyPress for so kindly including a feature about me on her blog. She has been doing a a terrific series of posts about inspiration and its sources. She was one of my first Etsy favorites and a source of great support in Jewelstreet's Creative Challenges. Thanks Tamara!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Happiness Swap


I just received these fantastic goodies from Liz Elayne as part of Karen Beth's Happiness Swap.
A wonderful tote from Liz's Maude series, filled with sweet, happy, little goodies: an idea journal, a pencil, lip gloss, gum, a beautiful handkerchief, a lemon scrub bar, and a collection of vintage buttons.
In addition to sweet bags, Liz is also the maker of wonderful flag sets inspired by Tibetan prayer flags.

Thanks Liz! I am so glad Karen Beth encouraged us to get to know one another - I love your blog and your Etsy shop.