Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

As the saying here goes, “Don’t like the weather? Just wait a few minutes.” And it’s true. Yesterday was sunny and warm topping out at around 65 degrees. Today we wake up to 40 degree temps and rain. The weekend forecast even includes, gasp, snow on Sunday night. Of course, once Monday rolls around the sun shines again and temps begin to climb.

The hardest part of this every-changing weather? What to wear.

I like to celebrate the warm weather as much as anyone, but I also keep in mind that 60+ temperatures in March are not a green light to wear shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops. It’s also not an excuse to break out the tank tops and linen pants. Good grief, we need some fashion sense here! I enjoyed the day wearing my favorite skinny jeans, a 3/4 sleeve t-shirt and my Converse sneakers. I’ll admit it, I looked pretty cute. And I was comfortable as well.

Today I have several fashion challenges to face. First, I need something appropriate for a funeral. I’m thinking my favorite black jacket, charcoal pants and comfortable boots. Drab, sure, but it’s a funeral and I think black is appropriate. Later, I have a beer tasting party to attend which means I can break out my cowboy boots and jeans. All that’s missing is a cute top so I’m digging through my closet to find something interesting. Knowing me, I’ll end up in a shirt and vest combo. Not exciting, but warm and comfortable.

So here I am, celebrating the first day of spring in dark, dreary colors to match the dark, dreary day we’re having. I think Mother Nature might need some Prozac.

It’s with a heavy heart that I write this post. My friends, Kelli and Kendrick, lost their beautiful five year-old daughter, Kali, on Sunday. Although I’m not a parent and can’t even begin to imagine the pain they are experiencing, their loss has left me saddened.

I met Kelli when I began working at The Harem almost two years ago. Kelli is the account manager/bookkeeper for the store and works in the back near my desk. We became friends while working together on our annual fashion show for the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks. Kelli and I were in charge of  securing donations for the event so we spent a lot of time together and I discovered a great friend. Because of her business knowledge, I confessed to her that I needed an accountant or business manager to help me get my consignment orders organized. She offered to help and refused any payment. In return, I promised not to let it get out of hand again. I looked forward to seeing her at work and chatting with her about her beautiful daughter, Kali, whose pictures were plastered all over Kelli’s desk. It was no surprise that Kali was the light of her life. She was a bundle of energy and joy who brightened up everyone’s day.

I only met Kali a couple of times, but every time she was in the store she bounced around like she owned the place. She knew no strangers and greeted everyone as if she’d known them for years. I never saw her walk; she seemed to skip and run wherever she went.

Late last summer, Kali developed a sinus infection that wouldn’t go away. Kelli and Kendrick were concerned, but the doctors didn’t seem to think it was any big deal. I remember Kelli and I were modeling in  a fashion show in late September and she was anxious to get home and take care of Kali who was still in a lot of pain. A week later, I was in St. Louis setting up for a show when I received the message that Kali was being taken to Barnes Children’s Hospital. Things were bad but we never knew how bad they were going to get.

It was Leukemia. Burkett’s Leukemia, a rare and aggressive form of cancer but one with a high survival rate. I remember thinking it wasn’t possible for such a seemingly healthy child to have cancer. Sure, I knew it happened all the time, but I just couldn’t believe it. Everyone got on board to start raising money for the family since neither of them could work and were going to Barnes constantly for treatments. The outpouring of support was amazing and I knew Kelli and Kendrick were humbled by all the love. Through it all, we prayed Kali would get better. And she did, for a while.

It was a horrible rollercoaster ride of emotions. One day she’d be improving and the next day she’d plummet. Through it all, I believed she’d get better. Even when we received that terrible phone call that Kali was being sent home from Barnes because they couldn’t do anything else for her, I still thought she’d pull through. Maybe I just never wanted to think the worst.

Sunday morning, as Steve and I were having coffee, the phone rang and it was my boss, Kathi. While a weekend phone call was unusual, it never crossed my mind why she was calling. Kali had passed away at 8 am. She was at peace. I will never fully comprehend what Kelli and Kendrick are experiencing but I know a light has gone out for all of us. Kali was a beautiful, energetic girl who brightened up everyone’s world. Rest in peace, little Kali, and know you are loved by so many.

When we first looked at our house we wondered if the living room carpet was hiding hardwood floors. When we moved in and started learning more about the history of the house, we knew hardwoods were there. What we suspected was that the carpet had been put down for a reason: to hide damage done in the past. I mean, why else would someone cover up perfectly lovely parquet floors with wall-to-wall carpet?! Especially gross sage green carpet?!

Whenever I vacuumed I would watch as a corner of the carpet near the stair moved. It had long since come undone from the tacks and I was dying to pull it up. One weekend Steve started pulling on it because curiosity got the best of him. Parquet floors glowed underneath. Still, this was near the stairs and we’d been told water damage had occurred, probably near the bathroom, at some point in the past. We knew we shouldn’t start pulling up the carpet until we were ready, financially and mentally, to deal with what was hiding beneath it.

Today, as I was doing my weekly vacuuming, I stopped and called to Steve. I asked him about the carpet. He said he was game to start pulling. I asked about what we’d do if we unearthed something we weren’t able to deal with and he, matter-of-factly, stated we’d just hammer down the carpet again. So we started pulling. And pulling. And pulling. Slowly, we uncovered the original floor.

Oh, it had problems. What appeared to be puncture marks all around the perimeter and water damage near the window. Still, it had promise and at this point there was no turning back. As for the water damage, well, an area rug would have to serve as a temporary fix. Much better than what the previous owners had done:

All that’s missing here is the duct tape. We started speculating about what had happened. We figured the owner had a shelf full of plants and the water had dripped onto the floor. Since the damage was away from the window we doubted it had to do with condensation from the window. But cardboard floor fixes weren’t the biggest surprise. The biggest shock was what appears to be blood stains.

And it’s not coming out. I figure it makes for some good party conversations so I’m willing to live with it. We wanted to pull up all the carpeting downstairs, but we found subflooring in the bar area which probably means the floor was so damaged it couldn’t be fixed. Future plans are to replace that area with cork flooring.

So, five hours later, we have a “new” living room and we’re thrilled. It’s far from perfect, has stains, damage, holes from staples and tacks, and areas covered by rugs, but to us it’s perfect. What a way to spend a dreary Sunday afternoon!

When I was a full-time college student I looked forward to spring break. Granted, I never went anywhere since I worked the whole time, but I enjoyed a break from studying and classes. Now that I’m an occasional student, I find that spring break takes on a different meaning. Case in point, this week between working at The Harem, I’ve already managed to create two rings for a series I’m doing. Can you say “overachiever”? Remember this ring from my last assignment?

Well, during the critique Sarah mentioned that it was a good ring for a series and that I should make several more. I liked the design, but wasn’t pleased with the end product and wanted to refine it. I had several other sketches so I decided to start fresh. Here’s the first ring I created:

It’s made to wear on my Index finger and the longer end of the top piece rests on my knuckle like this:

Good grief, my hand looks old! Anyway, it’s really comfortable to wear and I like the way it looks. Encouraged by this design, I continued to ring #2 in the series (technically, ring #3 if I count the very first one):

I sized this one for my middle finger, but it’s a bit snug. Still, I think it looks nice on my hand and it’s comfortable to wear.

Alas, I am running short on this particular silver sheet I’m using so I have to wait until my material arrives later this week. Guess I’ll start working on my Identity Ring. It’s going to be very exciting so stay tuned!

I rarely work on Saturdays , which is fine with me, but last Saturday was an exception. Last Saturday was the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (BCFO) “A Time To Share” event. This annual event is a celebration honoring women who have had or have been affected by breast cancer. The store I work for, The Harem, is involved in coordinating the fashion show for the event and has done so since the event began ten years ago.

Each year, breast cancer survivors model fashions from area stores. We usually have six stores with four to six models per store modeling which means a lot of coordinating and organizing for everyone at The Harem. It’s a time-consuming event, but so rewarding! I worked last Tuesday-Thursday as we held practices at our store after hours. The women involved are amazing and I love hearing their stories. There’s Jan, who used humor and silly hats to get through chemo; Debra, who is helping her sister deal with the same disease; and Melody, who is a young mother hoping for a long future with her children. These are just a few of the women I was honored to work with and get to know last week. I didn’t meet a single woman with a bad attitude or one who acted like a victim. Sure, they’ve all had bad days, but their positive outlook was inspiring.

What’s shocking about this event is the number of young women who participate each year which is a stern reminder to all of us that anyone can get breast cancer. To the women of the 10th annual BCFO fashion show, I salute you for your courage and strength and I look forward to working with you again next year. Thank you for a great event and for your time!

Today I turn in my second ring project.  The assignment was to explore positive and negative space within the design. While it’s almost impossible to ignore positive/negative space when designing a ring, the goal was to celebrate it.

My first idea was to incorporate the river rock with garnet set in it like I did on the last ring. I started shaping the silver part of the band and realized that the design was stronger without the rock. I changed it to just include the garnet set in a tube and I think it was a successful change. Here’s a side view of the piece:

Here’s a view of the inside. This ring is designed to fit on my index finger.

I had two designs in mind so Sarah suggested I make the second design too. Normally I wouldn’t go quite that far into over-achieverland, but both designs came together quickly so I had time to do the second one. I’d like to do a series of these changing different parts of the design. Here’s the side view:

Here’s the top. Both rings have the same faux garnets set in them but this one looks much more red. Chalk it up to crappy photography!

I have the design decided for my identity ring and will post details in the future. Stay tuned!

I think this next ring project just may end my career as a metalsmith. Not really, but it’s been such a huge challenge that I still have no idea what I’m going to create and I’ve been working on ideas for almost two weeks. The assignment is to create an identity ring, something that symbolizes you as a person. Sure, it might sound easy, but it’s a much deeper assignment than I thought it would be.

I started out by making a list of things I like that seem to scream “Tammy.” I took them to Sarah who pointed out that I wasn’t thinking about my true identity. What makes me, me? Hmm, upon further self-inspection I’ve come to the conclusion that my sense of humor is what makes me special. Ok, so how do I make a funny ring? Steve and I talked about it over coffee Saturday morning and he pointed out that my use of puns is something he identifies with me. Ok, so now I have sense of humor and puns. Now what?

I’ve thought about things that are “rings” like onion ring, telephone ring, circus ring, etc and am not inspired. Then I thought about making a ring with a little horse on it so when someone wants to see it, I can tell them they’re feeling a little horse (hoarse). Bad, I know, but it makes me laugh. Still…it’s not quite gelling with me. Ideas and thoughts anyone? I’m especially appealing to my mom who taught me how to be a smart ass in the first place!

Today is, unofficially, our 14th anniversary. I say “unofficially” because we married on February 29th so we only get a real anniversary every four years. I can’t imagine my life without Steve. He’s allowed me to really be myself and I think, as a couple, we are a great match. I know I’m a better person with him than without him. In honor of our special day, I thought I’d list 14 reasons why being with Steve is so awesome.

1. He lets me be myself. That may sound cliche or silly, but it’s true. I’m more “me” when I’m with him than I am with anyone else.

2. He loves me through thick and thin, literally. When we married I weighed 40 pounds more than I do now. He loved me then and he loves me now. I know I don’t have to keep up appearances with him.

3. We communicate. Even though discussions are sometimes uncomfortable, Steve always makes sure we talk things out when we have issues.

4. He supports me as an artist. When I decided to quit my full-time, career job at PBS 10 years ago, Steve was my biggest cheerleader. It meant he was the sole breadwinner but he knew I was unhappy with my job and he supported me.

5. He’s willing to go shopping with me. Silly? Maybe, but he knows I love shopping and he’s one of my favorite people to go shopping with.

6. He likes cats. I grew up in a house full of pets and I’m glad Steve likes them too.

7. He’s funny. A sense of humor goes a long way in a relationship. Sometimes when we’ve been picking at each other over nothing, Steve will just start laughing which makes me laugh too.

8. He’s cute. Ok, looks aren’t everything, but it doesn’t hurt that I still find him attractive. If I were single, I’m sure I’d have a huge crush on him.

9. He’s smart. I can’t figure out how his brain works when it comes to technology and computers. The guy is amazing.

10. He’s honest. When I’m being a bitch or being unreasonable about something, Steve has a way of calling me out on it without making me feel like a loser. He can say things to me that I know I need to hear, but often don’t want to, without hurting my feelings.

11. We balance each other well. When we were trying to buy our house, trying to sell the old one and trying to get Steve a job, it seemed like neither of us had a freak out at the same time. On the days when I was about at my wit’s end, Steve managed to talk me through it and vice versa.

12. He is a great friend. I know it may sound cliche, but Steve really is my best friend. He’s the first person I want to share news with and the first person I turn to when things are getting me down. I wouldn’t trade my girlfriends for the world, but I’m glad Steve is my #1 friend when the chips are down.

13. He takes care of the little things. Bringing in the paper every morning may not sound like anything important, but I love the fact it’s always waiting for me when I get home from the gym.

14. He love me unconditionally. I’m glad I can truly be myself when I’m with him.

Steve, I love you more each year and I’m glad we took a chance on each other 14 years ago. Happy Anniversary!

I dragged Steve out with me on Saturday to visit some of my favorite flea markets. I was supposed to go with Valerie, but she promised her husband Kevin a trip to the lawn and garden show so we postponed our normal shopping day for Sunday.  I couldn’t wait so Steve “volunteered” to go out with me for a short trip. Our first stop, Charley’s Place, is a good one but they’ve been a bit, well, lacking in their selection as of late. Still, we found what we thought would be a cool coffee table. We weren’t actually looking for a table, we were there for a chair, but when you’re flea marketing you learn to go with the flow. The table is Danish Modern style, which we adore, but I’ve been leaning towards the mod 70s styles and wasn’t sure it would fit into the future decor of the house. Steve loved it and, at $30, declared it a bargain, no-brainer buy. We walked around discussing it and decided to wait. I wanted to look at the table/bench we were using at home before making the final decision. Last year I turned down a gorgeous Lane coffee table at a bargain price because it was too much like what we already had. I regret that decision!

Once we got home and looked at our current table again, we decided that maybe the one we saw would work. We both liked the clean, simple design and the marble top added a 70s flair to the mix. Although I’d dreamed of a chrome and smoke glass table I knew it would probably be too cold looking. I like mixing the warmth of the wood with modern pieces. Still, I hesitated because I didn’t know what I’d do with the bench we had been using and I didn’t want to get rid of it. I had moved it in front of the large picture window thinking the cats would love it for a perch but wasn’t sure if it crowded the room too much. I decided it was time to call a professional – Valerie.

Valerie arrived here Sunday afternoon and immediately took charge of the situation which is what I was hoping she’d do. She liked the bench in front of the window but thought it needed to look like a more deliberate spot. She took the black cushions from the ledge and placed them on the bench then added a stack of books. Immediately, it looked better. Then she pointed out that my furniture was spread too far apart and the space needed to be tightened up so it looked more cozy. Here I was worried about crowding but she said the room had enough space to avoid that. Things were looking better but she said they weren’t quite there yet. Keep in mind, she hadn’t seen the coffee table at this point. She was just changing what I had. Looking around, she determined that I needed to switch my area rugs. The lighter one with the circles needed to go in the bar area and the darker one with the squares needed to go in the living room. That was the way I’d planned them when we moved in, but the movers placed them in the opposite areas so I put them there. We moved the rugs and immediately the room took on a new look. Time was running out for us to get our maximum time in at the flea markets so we left to take a look at the coffee table. Here’s what the new window area looks like:

Valerie was a little unsure about the coffee table once we got to Charley’s Place and I wasn’t feeling it either. I wasn’t sure if the style was right for the house. We looked around and left to check out another place and discuss it further. About an hour later I’d talked myself back into it and we both decided that it was a good buy and would probably work. Worst case scenario, I’d sell it on Craig’s list for the same $30 if it didn’t work. Once we got back here, Valerie sprang into action once again. I’d found my grapes (yay!) which were actually the second set I’d bought this month (Valerie found me another set) and knew I wanted those on the table. The amber/orange looked great against the tan of the marble. We worked with a variety of plants and knick-knacks until we had the right combination. I love it.

Next, she put the final touches on the ledge where the black cushions once were and the room was done. Gorgeous! Valerie is a master at visualizing a room and putting everything together. I’m just glad she doesn’t charge me for her time and expertise!

I used to be a fan of turtlenecks, but in the past couple of years, I’ve decided they weren’t the most flattering look for me. I’ve turned to long-sleeved t-shirts to get me through the winter and serve as layering pieces for my wardrobe. Still, I had three really nice turtlenecks that I wasn’t willing to give up or throw away. Then I had a great idea. Why not have the neck removed and turn them into t-shirts? Hmmm. I took them to work today and asked our alterations lady if the turtleneck part could be removed and the edges turned under and stitched. She said as long as I didn’t want trim around the neck, that should work. She also suggested cutting about 1″ around the t-neck seam to allow a larger, more flattering neck. Voila! I now have two really nice new t-shirts! I’ll be taking the third one in on Thursday. I just love repurposing my wardrobe!